Antileishmanial Assay and Antimicrobial Activity on Crude Extracts of Melodinus eugeniifolus Barks and Leaves from Malaysia

Melodinus eugeniifolus, a very rare medical plant which belongs to the family of Apocynaceae, has just been discovered in the Malaysia rain forest. Six different extracts of Melodinus eugeniifolus (a very rare medical plant belongs to Apocynaceae) leaves and barks were screened for the in vitro antileishmanial and antibacterial activities, among the different extracts tested, the ethanol and hexane extract of barks showed significant antileishmanial activities with IC50 value of 159.9 μg/ml and 270.3 μg/ml. All the extracts displayed remarkable antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus and Escherichia coli. Highlights: Melodinus eugeniifolus, a very rare medical plant from South Asian rain forest which may be a potential drug for many diseases is first reported its antileishmanial and antimicrobial activities.