Optimized Micropropagation and Antibacterial Potential of Tinospora cordifolia

Abstract

Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers ex Hook. f. & Thomson is an important medicinal plant widely used in the Ayurvedic system of medicine because of its immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, antidiabetic, antiallergic, antiarthritic and general tonic properties. Owing to its therapeutic importance and increasing demand, the present study aimed to optimize culture media for rapid micropropagation and evaluate the antibacterial activity of the plant. Nodal explants of T. cordifolia were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium supplemented with different concentrations of benzylaminopurine (BAP), kinetin (Kn), naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) for shoot induction and multiplication. Cultures were maintained at 25 ± 2°C under cool white fluorescent light. The highest shoot proliferation, with 3–4 healthy shoots per explant, was observed on MS medium containing 0.5 mg/L Kn and 1.5 mg/L NAA. Root initiation occurred within 5–6 days on MS medium supplemented with NAA, which proved more effective than IAA in producing healthy and elongated roots. The regenerated plantlets were successfully acclimatized and transferred to field conditions. Antibacterial activity of the methanolic leaf extract was evaluated against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The extract exhibited notable inhibitory activity, particularly against the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus megaterium. The findings demonstrate that the optimized culture medium supports efficient micropropagation of T. cordifolia, while the leaf extract possesses promising antibacterial activity, highlighting its potential for large-scale propagation and medicinal applications.