Synergistic effect of Euphorbia hirta L. AND Peperomia pellucida against human pathogens

Euphorbia hirta is widely referred to as asthma-weed is a medicinal plant, which contains a potentially high number of bioactive substances like flavonoids, tannins, saponins as well as phenolic acids, and is a plant with antimicrobial impact. Peperomia pellucida, a herbaceous plant that is common in tropical areas, also has antibacterial and antioxidant properties because there is a great abundance of flavonoid, alkaloids and terpenoid compounds. The current research study examines the synergistic antibacterial activity between E. hirta and P. pellucida extracts against human pathogens. The aim of this research is to determine the bioactive compounds present in both plants that are related to the antibacterial activity and to identify the synergistic effect of the combination of these two plants. Secondary metabolites were screened by carrying out phytochemical screening and the Kirby Bauer Disc Diffusion technique and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) tests were employed to determine the antibacterial activities as well as the synergy. E. hirta exhibited inhibition zones of 6-26 mm and P. pellucida did not exhibit any inhibition. The combination however demonstrated a moderate inhibition zone at dilute concentrations (7-8 mm at 500 mg/mL) and greater activity in the positive control with an inhibition zone of 26 mm (E. coli, S. aureus), 27 mm (B. cereus, P. aeruginosa). The results obtained using MIC showed that E. hirta had very high antibacterial activity with the minimum concentration of 15.625 mg/mL while the P. pellucida had moderate antibacterial activity between 31.25 mg/mL and 125 mg/mL. The combination plant needed up to 125 mg/mL in some cases. These findings enable the synergistic potential of both plants as natural antibacterial agents.