Evaluation of Antibacterial Activity of Some Traditionally Used Medicinal Plants against Human Pathogenic Bacteria

Abstract

The worldwide increase of multidrug resistance in both community- and health-care associated bacterial infections has impaired the current antimicrobial therapy, warranting the search for other alternatives. We aimed to find thein vitroantibacterial activity of ethanolic extracts of 16 different traditionally used medicinal plants of Nepal against 13 clinical and 2 reference bacterial species using microbroth dilution method. The evaluated plants species were found to exert a range ofin vitrogrowth inhibitory action against the tested bacterial species, andCynodon dactylonwas found to exhibit moderate inhibitory action against 13 bacterial species including methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus, imipenem-resistantPseudomonas aeruginosa, multidrug-resistantSalmonella typhi, andS. typhimurium. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of tested ethanolic extracts were found from 31 to >25,000 μg/mL. Notably, ethanolic extracts ofCinnamomum camphora, Curculigo orchioides, andCurcuma longaexhibited the highest antibacterial activity againstS. pyogeneswith a MIC of 49, 49, and 195 μg/mL, respectively; whereas chloroform fraction ofCynodon dactylonexhibited best antibacterial activity againstS. aureuswith a MIC of 31 μg/mL. Among all,C. dactylon, C. camphora, C. orchioides, andC. longaplant extracts displayed a potential antibacterial activity of MIC < 100 μg/mL.