Risk assessment of cadmium and lead in herbal decoction of Tinospora cordifolia leaves and their antibacterial activity on pathogenic gram-negative bacteria

Tinospora cordifolia possesses antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, vaso-relaxing activity and phytoremediation properties. The present study focused on the toxicological risk assessment of herbal decoction. Two prominent heavy metals viz., cadmium and lead were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma- optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). A comparative study between hot-plate microwave digestion of the sample was also performed. The outcomes of the study showed a higher amount of targeted metals but a little lesser than the permissible limit of WHO. Further the efficiency of decoction gram-negative pathogenic bacteria strain with multiple drug resistance (MDR) was checked by estimating its antibacterial activity. The results of the study provided its authenticity as herbal remedy with effective antibacterial properties. Further in situ hazard assessment of heavy metals in T. cordifolia cell lines on various micro-organisms is required.