Assessing the In vitro Antibacterial Activities of Eight Libyan Medicinal Plants Against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Yousef M Abouzeed
Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Al Fateh University P.O. Box 13662, Tripoli, Libya
Abstract:
Medicinal plants are valuable natural sources effective against various infectious agents. Extracts from Libyan traditional medicinal plants (n=8) were investigated for antibacterial activity. Aim in this study was to assess the in vitro antibacterial activity of eight traditional medicinal plant extracts against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Susceptibility assays using disc diffusion and broth microdilution test for the determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) were employed to assess the antibacterial activity of methanolic extracts from medicinal plants. Extracts from all eight plants showed anti-MRSA activity with MIC values ranged between 25–50 mg/ml. Cistus salvifolius, Salvia officinalis, Pistacia atantica, Arbutus pavarii, and Myrtus communis exhibited the most potent anti-MRSA activity, whereas extracts from Teucrium polium, Thymus capitellatus, and Euphorbia dendroides showed weak anti-MRSA activity. Medicinal plants may serve as useful bactericidal agents. These findings require further investigation into the possibility of using different medicine plants as an important therapeutic resource.
