In Vitro Antibacterial Activity of Selected Medicinal Plants in the Traditional Treatment of Skin and Wound Infections in Eastern Ethiopia

Abstract

Background External infections involving the skin and wound are the most frequent complications affecting humans and animals. Medicinal plants play great roles in the treatment of skin and wound infections. This study was aimed to evaluate the in vitro antibacterial activity of crude methanolic extracts of nine medicinal plants. Methods Agar well diffusion and broth dilution methods were used to determine the antibacterial activity of nine Ethiopian plants against four bacterial species including Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Results Among the tested plants, seven (Cissus quadrangularis, Commelina benghalensis, Euphorbia heterophylla, Euphorbia prostrate, Momordica schimperiana, Trianthema spp., and Solanum incanum) were found to exhibit considerable antibacterial activity against at least one of the test bacteria. The extracts of C. quadrangularis, E. heterophylla, and E. prostrata had a wide spectrum of antibacterial activities against test bacterial strains while the extracts of Grewia villosa and Schinus molle did not show any inhibitory activity. Clinical isolate and laboratory strain of S. aureus showed the highest susceptibility to highest concentration (780 mg/mL) of E. prostrata with a zone of inhibition of 21.0mm and 22.3mm, respectively. Conclusion This study indicates clear evidence supporting the traditional use of seven plants in treating skin and wound infections related to bacteria.

Evaluation of in-vivo antidiarrhoeal and in-vitro antibacterial activities of the root extract of Brucea antidysenterica J. F. Mill (Simaroubaceae)

“…For example, tannins produce antibacterial activity by inactivating numerous enzymes, microbial adhesion, and cell envelope transport proteins [35]. Other active components like saponins have been reported to possess antibacterial activity, which could be attributed to their ability to form a complex with extracellular proteins, soluble proteins, and bacterial cell walls [55]. Other previous antibacterial studies also proved that the presence of these secondary metabolites has an important role in the inhibition of bacterial growth [21,54,55].…”

“…According to Fentahun et al, the chloroform leaf extract of B. antidysenterica has showed highest (11 mm) zone of inhibition [22]. Other results done on different plants against P. aeruginosa showed that the zone of inhibition was ranging between 9 and 21 mm [23,32,35,55,56]. This may indicate that the root extract of B. antidysenterica has been promising activity against P. aeruginosa and important to tackle diarrhoea secondary to chronic diseases.…”

Ascorbic acid inhibitory activity on resistant strains of Enterobacter spp.: in vitro study

“…The method was performed according to that previously reported. 17 A sterilized Muller Hinton Agar was poured into sterile plates, after solidification, 100 µl of fresh culture of Enterobacter strains (0.5 MacFarland) were swabbed on the respective plates. Standard wells were made on the agar plate.…”

Potential of Dayak Onion (Eleutherine palmifolia (L) Merr) Extract As Antibacterial Against Pseudomonas fluorescens

“…This shows that 10 ppm concentration of the extract can inhibit Pseudomonas fluorescens bacteria. The low absorbance value indicated no bacterial growth or inhibited bacterial growth [21]. The high and low concentrations of extract that causes differences in the MIC value, so it can be seen there is a presence or absence of bacterial growth [22].…”