In vitro activity of selected medicinal plant extracts against pathogenic bacteria and HIV/AIDS related Mycobacterium spp.

Abstract

Methanolic extracts of six medicinal plants, Entada abyssinica (stem bark), Terminalia spinosa (young branches), Harrisonia abyssinica (roots), Ximenia caffra (roots), Azadirachta indica (stem bark) and Spilanthes mauritiana (roots) were tested against 35 strains of bacteria from four genera (Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, Salmonella and Mycobacteria). The minimum inhibitory concentration reached by 50% (MIC₅₀) and 90% (MBC₉₀) were between 1–8 mg/ml and 1–>8 mg/ml. H. abyssinica extracts had low activity on salmonella spp. (>8 mg/ml) but were quite active against the other arganisms (0.25–2 mg/ml). S. mauritiana was barely active since most values were >8 mg/ml. Mycobacteria spp. such as M. avium, M. chelonae and M. intracellulare were inhibited at between 90–100% by H. abyssinica, E. abyssinica, T. spinosa, X. caffra and A. indica. It is concluded that carefully guided extraction and characterization of these plant compounds may yield useful antibiotic principles.


Journal of Tropical Microbiology Vol.1(1) 2002: 29-35