Abstract
Piper betle (L) is a popular medicinal plant in Asia. Plant leaves have been used as a traditional medicine to treat various health conditions. It is highly abundant and inexpensive, therefore promoting further research and industrialization development, including in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Articles published from 2010 to 2020 were reviewed in detail to show recent updates on the antibacterial and antifungal properties of betel leaves. This current review showed that betel leaves extract, essential oil, preparations, and isolates could inhibit microbial growth and kill various Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria as well as fungal species, including those that are multidrug-resistant and cause serious infectious diseases. P. betle leaves displayed high efficiency on Gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans. The ratio of MBC/MIC indicated bactericidal and bacteriostatic effects of P. betle leaves, while MFC/MIC values showed fungicidal and fungistatic effects. This review also provides a list of phytochemical compounds in betel leaves extracts and essential oils, safety profiles, and value-added products of betel leaves. Some studies also showed that the combination of betel leaves extract and essential oil with antibiotics (streptomycin, chloramphenicol and gentamicin) could provide potentiating antibacterial properties. Moreover, this review delivers a scientific resume for researchers in respected areas and manufacturers who want to develop betel leaves-based products.
Highlights
Piper betle contains numerous phytochemicals depending on its botanical origin and the solvent used for extraction
The current review showed that the study of antibacterial activity of betel leaf extract (BLE) was greater than that of Betel Leaves Essential Oil (BLEO)
Numerous methods have been applied to test the antifungal properties of betel leaves including solid dilution, broth dilution, micro-dilution, well diffusion, and solid diffusion assays, resulting in minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC), and inhibition zones (Table 4)
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Piper betle (L) commonly known as betel vine belongs to the family Piperaceae. It is a popular medicinal plant in Asia. Traditional applications of betel leaves are related to their antibacterial and antifungal properties. A review of the literature was conducted to display recent studies (published in 2010–2020) on the antibacterial and antifungal properties of betel leaf extract (BLE), essential oil (BLEO), preparations, and isolates. Research on antibacterial and antifungal properties of betel leaves and their safety profiles have established their application as future active and additive ingredients in the pharmaceutical and food industries. Betel leaves are highly abundant and inexpensive, supporting their further development in manufacturing commercial products
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