Antimicrobial Activity of Medicinal Plants and the Biological Effects of Selected Plants on Staphylococcus Aureus (Published)
Several natural products especially secondary metabolites have formed the basis of medicines, although it’s been often difficult to justify the presence of these compounds in the biochemistry of plant; this as posited by Cragg et al., in their presentation on Ethnobotany and the Search for New Drugs, Ciba Foundation Symposium draws a challenge to scientists. It has been suggested that these compounds may have been synthesized by the plants as part of the defense system of the plant; a good example is that plants are known to produce phytoalexins as a response to attack by bacteria and fungi. Cragg and Newmann in Biodiversity: A continuing source or novel drug leads, support this though stating that the compound produced provides an invaluable resource that has been used to find new drug molecules This paper is set to identify the antimicrobial activity of these medicinal plants and their biological effects. The sampled out plant extracts include Thymus vulgaris, Berberis vulgaris and Calluna vulgaris with which inhibition or activation by different chemical catalysts is performed to establish their effects in the tested natural extracts. Experimental design is used where the reagents are determined and chemical reactions performed in the procedures as outlined in the methodology section. The results of the microbial activity based on the level of concentration is then recorded for every crude extracts and the effects of each with different antibiotics against Staphylococcus aureus. This study reflects that berberine showed excellent synergistic activity against Staphylococcus aureus at relatively low concentration and thus can be used against staphylococcus infections
Keywords: Antimicrobial, Berberis Vulgaris, Calluna Vulgaris, Metabolites, Staphylococcus Aureus, Thymus Vulgaris
ESSENTIAL OIL EUGENIA ASTRINGENS CAMBESS. QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS AND POTENTIAL ASSESSMENT ANTIMICROBIAL, CYTOTOXIC AND GENOTOXIC. (Published)
The essential oil from the leaves of Eugenia astringens Cambess (OE-2) was obtained by hydrodistillation in a Clevenger apparatus modified. The essential oil chemical composition (0.17% yield) was analyzed in GC-MS. The main component in the leaves was the α – pinene. The result of the quantification of the OE-2 sample, the calibration curve showed that the percentage of α-pinene in the essential oil is 2.5% ± 3.9. Cytotoxic potential of the essential oil of Eugenia astringens Cambess was assessed by indirect diffusion in agarose gel in a strain of Staphylococcus aureus. The essential oil obtained in vitro antibacterial activity relevant for high dosage (25 µL). It has been found that the use of essential oil (12.5mL) along with the antibiotic (amoxicillin, 12,5 µL volume) did not potentiate the drug action, this remains invariable. The linearity of the calibration curve was proven in the evaluated concentration range, but through the linear model obtained by Ordinary Least Squares Method.
Keywords: ATCC8096., Cytotoxicity Test, Essential oil, Eugenia Astringens Cambess, Evaluation of Homocedasticity, GC-MS, Linearity, Staphylococcus Aureus