Antibacterial activity of selected plant (Aqueous and methanolic) extracts against some pathogenic bacteria

Abstract

The development of new antibacterial agents from natural origins is of increasing interest. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate 8 selected plants for their in vitro antibacterial activity against pathogenic bacteria isolated from infected wounds and burns. The plants were extracted with hot water and methanol. The antibacterial activity was determined using the disc and agar-well diffusion methods. All the plant extracts demonstrated activity against the tested bacteria, with inhibition zone diameters ranging from 3-24.5 mm. The best results were obtained with those from aqueous extract of Carissa edulis. The phytochemical screening of the aqueous and methanol extracts indicated the presence of flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, glycosides, and terpenoids, which might explain the activity of the extracts whereby they can be offering additive activity against the test bacterial strains. In conclusion, the results indicate the plant extracts contain important metabolites in the search for new effective antibacterial agents.