ABSTRACT:
The plant Clerodendrum infortunatum belonging to the family Verbenaceae are is known in Ayurveda by the Sanskrit names Bharangi, Padma. The plant is useful as an excellent anthelmintic, laxative, ascarides and also used in malaria fever. The plant was found to be rich in flavonoids and have been reported to posses many useful properties like anti- oxidant, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activity. The survey of literature has revealed that the flavonoid rich fraction of the plant has not been investigated for the anti-bacterial activity. The acrial parts of C. infortunatum were collected from the local Nagpur region. It was identified by the Department of Botany; RTM Nagpur University, Nagpur with the help of authentic herbarium species. In the present investigations the material was dried in shade and then coarsely powdered and was used for the extraction of total flavonoid fraction. The dried acrial part was defatted with the help of petroleum ether (60°-80) & the marc was used to isolate flavonoid rich fraction. The flavonoid rich fraction was evaluated qualitatively for the presence of flavonoid with the help of preliminary phytochemical test and Thin Layer Chromatography The fraction was then evaluated for the anti-bacterial activity with the help of Gram-positive, Gram- negative bacteria and Fungi.