Antibacterial Activity of Moringa oleifera Plant Extracts in Comparison with Ciprofloxacin Antibiotic Against Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

The current drug resistance in human pathogens is a result of the abuse of antibacterial drugs commonly used to treat diseases. Early human civilizations used Moringa oleifera extracts to treat illnesses and infections caused by food-borne bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus. In order to calculate the antibacterial effect of Moringa oleifera against Staphylococcus aureus, methanolic extracts from its three parts were prepared. A photochemical analysis of the methanolic leaves, seeds, and roots extracts was performed when the extracts were ready for testing. We used well-diffusion methods to add the three extracts, and the ciprofloxacin antibiotic was used as the standard. From the stock solution, serial dilutions were made in order to calculate the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). In the phytochemical screening test, steroids, terpenoids, tannins, phenolic compounds, saponins, and flavonoids were most abundant in leaves extract, followed by seeds then roots extracts. Moringa oleifera seeds have the highest inhibition zone, which is about 10mm, followed by Moringa oleifera roots at 9mm, and Moringa oleifera leaves at 7mm. In comparison to the other two extracts, the MIC of methanolic extract from Moringa oleifera leaves was 250 mm, the highest concentration, with a MIC of 125 mm for roots and 62.50 mm for seeds. Methanolic extracts of Moringa seeds demonstrated antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus in the present study. For further studies, it is suggested a deeper investigation to study the antibacterial agent dosages of these plant parts, which may be used by the pharmaceutical industry.