Antibacterial Effect of Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) Bark Extract on Different Bacterial Isolates

Abstract

In this study, the antibacterial activity of Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) bark ethanolic extract was investigated on different bacterial isolates (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) of clinical origin. The ethanolic extract of Cinnamon was extracted from the Cinnamon bark (spice) powder using ethanol, and various standard concentrations of the Cinnamon extract were aseptically impregnated onto sterile circular discs. Pure culture of the bacterial isolates was subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility test using the Agar Disc Diffusion method. The findings of this study revealed E. coli produced the highest susceptibility to the cinnamon extract; S. aureus was intermediately susceptible while P. aeruginosa was least susceptible to the highest concentration of the cinnamon extract. Reasonably, the lowest concentration (20 % (v/v)) of Cinnamon extract also had minimal antibacterial action only on S. aureus but E. coli and P. aeruginosa exhibited resistance to this concentration of Cinnamon bark ethanolic extract. This study portrayed Cinnamon as an antibacterial agent and serves as a pointer for pharmaceutical industries in producing effective antibacterial drugs of plant sources.