Abstract
BackgroundMedicinal plants are widely used for the treatment of different infectious diseases. Infectious diseases caused by bacteria have a large impact on public health. This study aimed to determine the in vitro antibacterial activity of the medicinal plants traditionally used in Vietnam against the bacterial strains associated with infectious diseases.MethodsMethanol extracts of twelve Vietnamese medicinal plants were tested for their antibacterial activity against five bacterial species including Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) using the broth microdilution method.ResultsAll the plant extracts showed antibacterial activity, especially against Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus). Baeckea frutescens extract revealed a potent activity against the Gram-positive bacteria with the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of 62.5 μg/ml. High activity against all the three Gram-positive bacteria was also observed for the extracts of Cratoxylum formosum ssp. pruniflorum, Pogostemon cablin, and Pedilanthus tithymaloides with MICs of 125, 125 and 250 μg/ml and MBCs of 125–250, 125–250 and 250–500 μg/ml, respectively. The extracts of C. formosum ssp. pruniflorum and P. tithymaloides showed a broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against all the bacteria tested with the MICs of 125–2,000 μg/ml.ConclusionThis study indicates clear evidence supporting the traditional use of the plants in treating infectious diseases related to bacteria. In particular, these plant species showed moderate to high antibacterial activity against the Gram-positive bacteria tested.
Highlights
Medicinal plants are widely used for the treatment of different infectious diseases
This study was aimed at validating the traditional use of selected Vietnamese medicinal plants against common bacteria, causing several human infections including Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus [2, 4, 13], by evaluating their in vitro antibacterial activity
The extracts of Cratoxylum formosum ssp. pruniflorum and Pedilanthus tithymaloides displayed broad-spectrum antibacterial activities against all the five strains tested with the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values in the ranges 125–2,000 and 250– 2,000 μg/ml, respectively
Summary
Medicinal plants are widely used for the treatment of different infectious diseases. Infectious diseases caused by bacteria have a large impact on public health. Since the mid-1970s, the emergence of a number of new pathogens and reemergence of older diseases has highlighted the fact that, contrary to expectations, epidemics of infectious disease remain a problem of public health concern [1]. Infectious diseases remain the largest global cause of death [1, 2]. They account for approximately one-half of all the deaths in tropical countries [2]. Many of these diseases are difficult to treat or have no specific effective therapy available. Infectious diseases caused by bacteria have a large impact on public health [3, 4]. Nowadays, the discovery of new natural antibacterial agents for treating infectious diseases is essential to prevent the spread of diseases and improve their treatment
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