Abstract
The antibacterial potentials of the medicinal plants Francoeuria crispa (Forssk.) Cass., Pulicaria undulata (L.) Kostel, Ziziphus spina-christi (L.) Desf. and Cucurbita pepo L. Ethanol, petroleum ether, ethyl Acetate, methanol and aqueous extracts, at a concentration of 100 mg/ml, were evaluated against selected bacterial strains: Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Bacillus subtilis (NCTC 8236), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Proteus vulgaris (ATCC 6380), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), Salmonella para typhi B (0650) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 1312) using the Agar Diffusion Technique in vitro. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values were also determined for the most active plant extracts. Of all extracts the ethanolic extract of Pulicaria undulata was the most active, whereas, the aqueous extract of Ziziphus spina – christi stem bark was the most active of all aqueous extracts tested. The ethyl acetate extract of F. crispa showed activity against both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. Most susceptible Gram-negative bacteria were E. coli and P. vulgaris and least susceptible was S. para typhi B. In Gram –positive bacteria, most and least susceptible were S. aureus and B. subtilis respectively. The lowest MIC values were <3.125 and 6.25 μg/ml for the crude extracts of ethyl acetate of Pulicaria undulata and crude methanolic extract of Ziziphus spinachristi, respectively. These results provide promising baseline information for the potential use of these crude extracts in the treatment of bacterial infections.
Recommended Citation
El-Kamali, Hatil Hashim and Mahjoub, Sana Al-Tayeb
(2009)
"Antibacterial Activity of Francoeuria crispa, Pulicaria undulata, Ziziphus spina-christi and Cucurbita pepo Against Seven Standard Pathogenic Bacteria,"
Ethnobotanical Leaflets: Vol. 2009:
Iss.
6, Article 6.
Available at:
https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/ebl/vol2009/iss6/6