IN VITRO ANTIMICROBIAL POTENTIAL OF CORIANDRUM SATIVUMAGAINST PATHOGENIC MICROORGANISMS

Coriandrum sativumis known to be an important medicinal herb from ancient period in India. It has been reported to possess numerous secondary metabolites of pharmacological significance. The present work was framed out to undertake the phytochemical screening and to explore the antibacterial and antifungal potential of this herb in acetone and methanol extracts by in vitro agar well diffusion assay. The phytochemical screening of extracts of Coriandrum sativum showed thepresence of alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids and amino acids however, reducing sugars were absent in both extracts. Acetone extract was found to exhibit better inhibitory effectagainst bacteria and fungi than methanolic extract. However,none of the extracts were effective against K. pneumoniaeand S. cerevisiae.