Antitumor and antibacterial activity of a crude methanol leaf extract of Vitex negundo L.

In this study we evaluated a methanol leaf extract of Vitex negundo L. (Verbenaceae) for antitumor and antibacterial activities using the potato disc bioassay and the agar disc diffusion method, respectively. Taking ≤20% tumor inhibition as significant, we found significant crown gall inhibition (24-48.39%) with 1 and 10mg/ml extracts while 0.1mg/ml of the extract was ineffective (14.67% to 18.28%). Maximal tumor inhibition was observed with 10mg/ml extract against Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain AtSl0105 (48.39%), followed by AtTa0112 (45.9%) and AtAc0114 (44%). The methanol leaf extract showed growth inhibitory potency against all of the studied bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi). The minimum inhibitory concentrations ranged from 0.312mg/ml to 1.25mg/ml. The least MIC value was recorded against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. The presented findings indicate that the methanol leaf extract could be considered as a source of novel antitumor and antibacterial compounds.