Antimicrobial Activity of Myrtus communis L., Cinnamomum verum and Eugenia caryophyllata Alcoholic Mixtures

Abstract

Background and Objective: With the significant increase in the prevalence of infectious diseases and the development of drug resistance by human pathogenic bacteria, there is a continuous need to discover new antimicrobial compounds from plants. Methods: Four extracts of wild Myrtus communis L. berries (myrtle berries) were prepared with the addition of Cinnamomum verum and Eugenia caryophyllata. The extracts were screened in vitro for their antimicrobial activities using agar-well diffusion method against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter cloacae, Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus mirabilis cultures. Results: The inhibition zones ranged from 12 to 22 mm. The MICs values of extracts lies between the ranges of 30 to 100 mg/ml. Of the extracts studied, the most active ones were those obtained from the myrtle berries:cloves, myrtle berries:cinnamon:cloves with the highest inhibition zones 22 mm and 17mm against S. aureus and L. monocytogenes at 50 mg/ml and 80 mg/ml, respectively. None of the extracts was active against E. coli and P. mirabilis. Conclusion: The present investigations have exposed that the myrtle berries:cloves, myrtle berries: cinnamon:cloves extracts could be used in traditional medicine as natural antimicrobial agents in treatment the bacterial infections.