PJB-2017-792
ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF EIGHT SELECTED VENDA MEDICINAL PLANTS EXTRACTS AGAINST FIFTEEN BACTERIAL ORGANISMS
Mulaudzi TG
Abstract
In this study, eight plants used by traditional healers in the Venda region for the treatment of diarrheal diseases were tested against six Gram-positive and ten Gram-negative bacteria using the agar dilution assay, the tube dilution assay and the microdilution assay. The extracts were prepared using water, methanol and dichloromethane. For the agar dilution assay, the cold water extract of Vernonia colorata was the most active with a Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of 0.31mg/ml. For the tube dilution assay, all the eight plant species tested exhibited some activity against one or more bacteria, while Combretum molle showed activity against all the fifteen bacterial species at different dilutions with 2mg/ml as the highest MIC. Using the microdilution assay, the dichloromethane extract of Combretum molle, the methanol extracts of Combretum hereroense and Momordica foetida had the lowest MIC values of 0.06mg/ml. Klebsiella pneumoniae was the most susceptible organism to the plant extracts. In general, dry plant material had higher antimicrobial activities compared to fresh plant material. This study further justified the use of these plants in traditional medicine for treatment of various diseases. Although the plant species with the significant antibacterial activity were identified, there is a need for further scientific evaluation regarding identification of the bioactive constituents, and their toxicity.
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