In recent years, a notable increase in the prevalence of multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been reported in hospitalized, critically ill patients with subsequent high mortality and morbidity. Drug resistance pattern for anti-pseudomonal antibiotics, such as amikacin (30 mg), amoxyclav (10 mg), azithromycin (15 mg), cefepime (30 mg), cefoperazone (75 mg), ceftazidime (30 mg), ceftriaxone (10 mg), ciprofloxacin (5 mg), piperacillin (100 mg), meropenem (10 mg), colistin (10 mg), gentamicin (10 mg), tobramycin (10 mg) and ticarcillin (75 mg)), by disc diffusion method has been noticed. In this context, screening of antibiotic resistance modifying compounds from plant source may be helpful in identifying therapeutically useful compounds. Antibacterial activity of Punica granataum Linn. plant parts was evaluated on different strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, one of the most important nosocomial pathogens. Punica granataum Linn. plant parts, such as leaves, peel and flowers, were extracted with various solvents such as ethanol, methanol, chloroform, petroleum ether (soxhlet extraction) and water. The in vitro antibacterial assay was performed by well diffusion method. Among all extracts, methanolic peel extract was found to be very effective. A qualitative phytochemical analysis was evaluated for the presence of various secondary metabolites such as tannins, saponins, glycosides, flavonoids, alkaloids and phenols.

The global emergence of multi-drug resistant bacterial strains is increasingly limiting the effectiveness of current drugs and significantly causing failure in the treatment of infections. There is an urgent need for the search of new antimicrobial compounds to overcome the problem of antibiotic resistance. However, it was also recorded that the newly discovered antimicrobial compounds to solve the problem of antibiotic resistance are expected to have a very short life (Coates et al., 2002).

Understanding the mechanisms of resistance is important in the development of strategies to solve the problem. Pathogenic bacteria acquire resistance by drug efflux, target site alteration and enzymatic degradation. The alternative mode exhibited by pathogenic bacteria to overcome the problem of resistance during the treatment of infections is due to the production of some chemical compounds such as resistance modifying agents or multi-drug resistant inhibitors which is having the ability to modify the resistance phenotype.

Biotechnology Journal, Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Antibiotic Resistance, Disc Diffusion Method, Punica Granataum, Plant Extracts, Well Diffusion Method, Phytochemical Screening, Nosocomial Pathogens, Antibacterial Aactivity, Glacial Acetic Acid, Ferric Chloride, Pathogenic Microorganisms, Phenolic Compounds, Gastrointestinal Disorders.