ANTIBACTERIAL NATURAL DYES AND APPLICATIONS

Abstract

Since natural dyes have therapeutic properties in the literature, these dyes have created awareness and the demand for these dyes has increased considerably. Natural dyes are obtained from naturally occurring sources. Among all natural dyes, dyes composed of pigments of plants have extensive medicinal value. The dyestuffs of natural dyes and the medicinal properties of these substances have been known for many years, but their structures and protective properties have only been understood recently. Many of the plants used for dye extraction are classified as medicinal, and some of these have recently been shown to have remarkable antimicrobial activity. New research reveals detailed information about the basic chemistry of the main pigments found in naturally occurring dye-yielding plants and their medical significance, which helps in the further development of pharmaceutical formulations (Chengaiah et al, 2010).