Antibacterial Activity of Extracts from Plants of the Family Cucurbitaceae against Common Bacterial Strains

Abstract

Traditional plant based medicine plays a very important role in promoting healthcare in people living in remote and rural areas around the world. Dependence on this medicine as a primary source of healthcare is seen mainly in underdeveloped and developing countries. The acknowledgement of the importance and effectiveness of such medicine by modern research has led to the promotion of evidence-based incorporation of traditional medicine into mainstream clinical practice. Plants in the family Cucurbitaceous are often cited in traditional medicinal systems having many important therapeutic effects. In this study, the antibacterial activity of 46 plant extracts from ten plants from the family Cucurbitaceae was investigated against Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumonia using agar well diffusion method. Most extracts did not show significant positive results, however, some extracts from Praecitrullus fistulosus (tinda), Luffa acutangula (ridged gourd), Luffa aegyptiaca (smooth gourd), Momordica charantia (bitter gourd) and Coccinia grandis (kundru) showed strong antibacterial activity and hence should be further studied for potential therapeutic uses.