ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF MORINGA OLEIFERA (LAM) LEAVES EXTRACTS AGAINST SOME SELECTED BACTERIA
Keywords:
Antibacterial, Moringa oleifera, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coliAbstract
Objective: The antibacterial activity of Moringa oleifera (Lam.) Leaves extract belonging to the family Moringaceae, was determined using agar well diffusion method against some selected bacteria.
Methods: Mueller Hinton Agar (MHA) (Becton Dicknson M. D USA), media was prepared according to the manufacturer's instruction. Sterile Mueller Hinton agar plates were inoculated with the test culture by surface spreading using sterile wire loops and each bacterium evenly spread on the entire surface of the plate to obtain uniformity of the inoculum. Concentrations of 30, 60, 90 and 120mg/ml prepared from the dry leaves powder were used for antibacterial analysis using agar well incorporation methods. Plates of Mueller hinton agar were prepared and allowed to solidify on Petri dishes. Each plate was then seeded with a test bacterium. Four holes were made in each of the plate with a sterile 2.0 mm diameter cork borers. Each of the four holes was filled with a given concentration of the extract mixed with plane sterile agar. The plates were then incubated at 37°c for 24 hours. The diameters of zones of inhibition were measured using a meter rule and the mean value for each organism was recorded.
Results: The aqueous, ethanol and methanol extracts of the plant leaves show an inhibitory effect on the growth of the tested bacteria. For aqueous, ethanol and methanol extracts, the inhibitory effect on Escherichia coli was significantly higher (P<0.05) than that of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa respectively. In addition, both ethanol and methanol extract showed a significantly higher (P<0.05) inhibitory effect at higher concentration of 120mg/ml.
Conclusion: The powder from the leaves of Moringa show potential antibacterial activity against the tested gram positive bacteria; Staphylococcus aureus and gram negative bacteria i. e. Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
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References
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