A study on phytochemical profiling and antimicrobial activity of Cymbopogon citratus (Lemon grass)

In recent years researchers have been paid attention to find out new alternative sources of antimicrobial agents especially from plant sources. Cymbopogon citratus (Lemon grass) is an aromatic medicinal plant in the family Poaceae. The main chemical components of lemon grass are: myrcene, geranial, limonene, citronellol, neral, caffeic acid, and citral have been used extensively for many years in soap, perfumery, and detergents and pharmaceuticals. Phytochemical screening of the plant leaf reveals that the presence of saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, phenols, tannins and glycosides. Different leaf extracts of Cymbopogon citratus leaves were prepared and its antimicrobial activity was evaluated by agar well diffusion method against both Bacterial species such as: Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli as well as Fungi pathogens such as: Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, Penicillium Chrysogenum. The antimicrobial activity of crude methanolic, ethanolic, acetone and aqueous extract of C. citratus was evaluated to find the zone of inhibition, so that Antimicrobial activity of various extract of leaves of Cymbopogon citratus was carried in attempt to develop a new pharmaceutical drug from natural origin for prevention of pathogenic microbes.