Cytotoxic, Antibacterial, and Leishmanicidal Activities of Paullinia pinnata (Linn.) Leaves

Paullinia pinnata leaves are employed traditionally for the treatment of various ailments which are of biological origin.

The aim of this study was to explore cytotoxic, antibacterial, and antileishmanial properties of the leaves of Paullinia pinnata using in vitro models.

Brine shrimp lethality bioassay was used to determine the cytotoxic activity of the methanol leaf extract of Paullinia pinnata. The activity of the extract against the growth of cultured Leishmania major (DESTO) promastigotes was used to investigate the leishmanicidal activities. The agar well diffusion method was used to investigate the antibacterial activity against Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Shigella flexneri, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus subtilis.

The methanol leaf extract of P. pinnata had no activity against Artemia salina (brine shrimp) and L. major. It showed a non-significant activity against E. coli and B. subtilis and no activity against P. aeruginosa, S. flexneri, S. typhi, and S. aureus.

The methanol leaf extract of P. pinnata did not exhibit any cytotoxic and anti-leishmanial properties. Moreover, the activity against various species of bacteria was not significant.