Effect of Azadirachta indica extract on phagocytic activity against the common clinical pathogen

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance exhibit by pathogenic microorganisms has encouraged more biocompatible and eco-friendly approaches to screening of herbs for their prospective antibiotic activity to manage and control infectious diseases. Herbal plants play a paramount role in the complementary medicines worldwide because of their many health benefits with no side effects. The objective of this study was to determine in vitro effect of Azadirachta indica (neem) on phagocytic activity against the common clinical pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. The phagocytic activity was determined by employing slide method. In this method, number of ingested cells was found to be 60 out of 100 after 1.5 hour incubation of blood sample with Staphylococcus aureus and Azadirachta indica. Azadirachta indica showed enhanced phagocytic activity as compared to control blood sample without the herb. This suggests that diet or drug supplemented with Azadirachta indica (Neem) is likely to augment the immune system and reduce the growth of pathogenic bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus.