Evaluation of Various Crude Extracts of <i>Zingiber officinale</i> Rhizome for Potential Antibacterial Activity: A Study <i>in Vitro</i>

Abstract

In vitro antibacterial activity of crude aqueous and organic extracts of rhizome of Zingiber officinale Roscoe (ginger) was studied against both Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi) and Gram-positive (Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes) bacterial strains. The present study reveals that the pattern of inhibition varied with the solvent used for extraction and the organism tested. Plant extracts prepared in organic solvents provided more consistent antibacterial activity as compared to aqueous extracts. Methanol extract was the most active against maximum number of bacterial species tested. Gram-positive bacteria were found the most sensitive as compared to Gram-negative bacteria. Staphylococcus aureus was significantly inhibited by almost all the extracts even in very low MIC followed by other Gram-positives. Escherichia coli (a Gram-negative bacterium) was showing the least inhibition with highest MIC values, while Salmonella typhi was found completely resistant. Methanol extract yielded the presence of terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids and tannins in phytochemical screening. Results of the present study sign the interesting assurance of designing a potentially active antibacterial agent from Zingiber officinale.

Antimicrobial activity of species Zingiber officinale Roscoe and Alpinia purpurata (Vieill.) K. Schum. (Zingiberaceae) - Review

“…These compounds were associated with the antimicrobial efficiency of extracts in disk diffusion assay against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The extracts were more effective against gram-positive than gram-negative bacteria as reported by Kaushik and Goyal (2011). The higher resistance of gram-negative bacteria could be due to the complexity of the cell wall (ROMANIUK; CEGELSKI, 2015;SILHAVY et al, 2010;TEJADA et al, 2013).…”

“…Zingiber officinale, popularly known as ginger, is widely cultivated for the use of spices, condiments, and medicinal applications, in which the most utilized part of the plant is the rhizome (KAUSHIK; GOYAL, 2011;RAJSEKHAR et al, 2012;SUHAD et al, 2012). The rhizome contains approximately 1-4% of the volatile oils that are responsible for the taste, aroma, and medicinal potential unique to ginger.…”

“…Alpinia purpurata is known worldwide, and but grows primarily in Brazil. However, A. purpurata has little medicinal use (KOBAYASHI et al, 2007;VICTÓRIO, 2011). Phenolic compounds, among them flavonoids, are present in several Alpinia species and are considered promising potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases (SUBRAMANIAN; SUJA, 2011).…”

“…According to Kaushik and Goyal (2011), the different extracts of the rhizome of Z. officinale demonstrated antibacterial activity in a disk diffusion assay with gram-negative and grampositive bacteria. The results demonstrated that organic solvents (ethanol, methanol, ethyl acetate, and hexane) were more effective of antimicrobial activity than the aqueous extract.…”

Rhizome of Zingiber Officinale: Possible Source of Alternative Remedy for Strep Throat

“…In this study, the ginger ethanol extracts showed better activity than isopropyl-hexane (7:3) extracts. Another study showed that methanol and ethanol ginger extracts exhibit a broad antibacterial spectrum activity while control experiments with only the solvents showed no inhibition of any bacteria, indicating that ginger itself and not the solvent inhibited the growth of the bacteria 17 . The antibacterial activity is most likely due to the phytoconstituents present in ginger.…”