Antibacterial Activity from The Cashew Nut Shell Extracts

Abstract

Cashew nut shells were considered as a waste material of the cashew industries; therefore, we used this material as a source of antibacterial drugs and as a source of chemical constituent. Anacardium accidentale Linn (Anacardiacea family) popularly known as “Cashew”, is grown in the sandy loam soil, and has a spreading root system. Nutshell from cashew nut represents one of the major cheapest sources of non-isoprenoid phenolic lipid. This study investigated of antibacterial activities of cashew nut shell extract (CNSE). Samples were maceration by hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, methanol, and water solvent were then evaporated at 50 oC to give n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, methanol, and water extract. The yield were obtained was 125.54 gr (28.91 %), 11.19 gr (2.58 %), 43.15 gr (9.94 %), 2.46 gr (0.08 %), and 46.50 gr (10.71 %), for hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, methanol, and water solvent espectively. The extract was examined for bacterias, namely Bacillus subtillis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus, using the agar disc diffusion methods in using concentration of Cashew nut shell of 0.125%. 0.25%, 0.5 % and 1% respectively. The ethyl acetate extract and n-hexane extract of CNSE showed an antibacterial effect on B. subtillis with an inhibition zone of 10.333 mm and 9.67 mm. An n-hexane extract showed inhibition zone (11.667 mm) for S. aureus, 11.33 mm for P. aeruginosa. Methanol extract exhibited inhibition zone higher for S. aureus, followed by E. coli, P. aeruginosa and B. subtillis. Water extract did not affect the growth of E. coli. Four the ethyl acetate, methanol, hexane, and dichloromethane extract showed better antibacterial effects compared to water extract. Chemical constituents of hexane extract of cashew nut shell were investigated by GC-MS.