Volume 4, Issue 4, August 2014, Pages 269–274
Abstract
Objective
To investigate the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the methanol extracts of Tussilago farfara (T. farfara), Equisetum arvense, Sambucus nigra (S. nigra) and Aesculus hippocastanum.
Methods
The antimicrobial activities of the extracts against Enterococcus
raffinosus, Escherichia coli, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Pseudomonas
aeruginosa, Serratia rubidaea, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Staphylococcus epidermis
were determined by the microbroth dilution method according to Clinical
and Laboratory Standards Institute, while the concentrations of main
phenolic acids and flavonoids in the form of trimethylsilyl ethers were
analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The probit analysis
was used for statistical evaluation.
Results
Of
the 4 plant tested, all extracts showed a significant antimicrobial
activity against one or more species of examined microorganisms. The
most active antimicrobial plant extract was gathered from T. farfara, followed by Aesculus hippocastanum and Equisetum arvense. The extract from S. nigra showed no antimicrobial effects. The flavonoids quercetin and kaempferol, as well as several phenolic acids (p-hydroxybenzoic
acid, gallic acid, ferulic acid and caffeic acid) were identified in
all extracts. The highest concentrations of bioactive compounds were
detected in the extracts of T. farfara (9 587.6 μg/mg quercetin and 4 875.3 μg/mg caffeic acid) as well as S. nigra (4788.8 μg/mg kaempferol).
Conclusions
We can state that the methanolic plant extract of T. farfara showed the strongest antimicrobial activity against Saccharomyces cerevisiae
as well as other tested microorganisms. At the same time, a good
antimicrobial activity was found in the other medical plant extracts as
well. No antimicrobial effect of the S. nigra extract was found with respect to the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus raffinosus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Keywords
- Wild medical plants;
- Antimicrobial activity;
- Minimum inhibitory concentration;
- Chemical composition
- Peer reviewer: Dzugan, Malgorzata, University of Rzeszow in Rzeszow. E-mail: mdzugan@univ.rzeszow.pl
- Comments: The described research fits the global trend of looking for natural medicines with antibiotic properties. Tested plants are known in folk and traditional medicine but not as antibacterial agents. Study has been carried out properly and the description of the results is concise and clear.
- Foundation Project: This work has been supported by grant of KEGA013SPU-4/2012.
- Available online 28 Aug 2014
- Corresponding
author: Lukáš Hleba, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of
Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Slovak University of Agriculture, Tr.
Andreja Hlinku 2, 949 76 Nitra, Slovak Republic., Tel:
+421 37 641 5811
Copyright © 2014 Asian Pacific Tropical Medicine Press. Published by Elsevier (Singapore) Pte Ltd. All rights reserved.