Antimicrobial Activity of Five Yemeni Medicinal Plants against Selected Human Pathogenic Bacteria and Fungi

Abstract

Background: The emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance, as well as the evolution of new strains of disease causing agents, are of great concern to the global health community. Nowadays, reports have indicated that many of healthcare-associated, antimicrobial-resistant bacteria are not only multidrug resistant pathogens but also broadly drug-resistant and pandrug-resistant bacteria. Objective: This study is focused on exploring the antimicrobial properties of five different plants that are commonly being used as traditional medicines in Yemen against Gram positive, Gram negative bacteria and fungi. Methods: The antimicrobial potential of five different plant extracts was screened against selected human pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Methanolic extracts of Dodonaea viscose, Plantago lanceolata, Withania samnifera, Pulicaria crispa, and Rumex nervosus were subjected to a test of their antimicrobial properties by Modified Agar Diffusion and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration. Results: The results indicated that all the five plants extract showed antibacterial activity against a selected microorganism at a concentration of 60 mg/ml. The highest potential was observed in the extract of W. somnifera against S. taphyloccocus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus miarbilis and Candida albicans with zone of inhibition of 23 mm, 20.7 mm, 20 mm and 25.3 mm, respectively. R. nervosus also showed the highest MIC against test organisms. Only two medicinal plant Pulicaria crispa, and Rumex nervosus extracts showed non antifungal activity. Conclusion: The experiment confirmed the efficacy of some selected plant extracts as natural antimicrobial and can be potential sources for the synthesis of antibacterial drugs.

In vitro phytochemical analysis and antibacterial and antifungal efficacy assessment of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Rumex nervosus leaves against selected bacteria and fungi

“…Here, the extracts of R. nervosus inhibited Grampositive and Gram-negative bacteria, with no effect on A. fumigatus and A. niger, supporting reports from Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia against S. aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Streptococcus pyogenes, but not C. albicans [22,51].…”

“…The MIC was used to determine the effectiveness of the extracts on the bacterial and fungal strains tested. Only organisms that had a zone of inhibition in the previous ADDM and were sensitive to the herbal extracts were tested for MIC [22]. All the extracts tested were found to have antimicrobial activity.…”

“…Rumex nervosus is a medicinal shrub used throughout Asia and North Africa to cure a variety of ailments, such as inflammatory diseases [20,21]. Rumex nervosus, a plant used in folk medicine, was selected by Yemenis [21,22] and Saudis [23] to test its antimicrobial activity. It contains active compounds such as gallic acid, which can be used to treat chronic and infectious diseases and inflammatory conditions [24].…”

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“…Dermatology: It has been deeply studied that plants provide beneficial effects to humans due to their antimicrobial 3,13,44 , antioxidants [45][46][47] , among others properties, which are attributed to their secondary metabolites 48 . However, phytochemical effectiveness on skin can be conditioned by environment characteristics, compound degradation rate or other physicochemical drawbacks 49 .…”

“…According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is estimated that 80% of world's population depends on traditional medicine for a wide range of respiratory, kidney, skin, inflammatory, and gastrointestinal diseases primary care 1 . Else ways, it is important to mention that plants' potential pharmacological effects have been extensively evidenced in studies both in-vitro and in-vivo reporting antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, and analgesic activities [2][3][4][5][6] .…”