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. 2015 Oct-Dec;7(4):300-3.
doi: 10.4103/0975-7406.168031.

Antimicrobial activity of aqueous and organic extracts of a Saudi medicinal plant: Rumex nervosus

Abdul Rahman K Al-Asmari  1 , Yunus M Siddiqui  1 , Md Tanwir Athar  1 , Ahmed Al-Buraidi  2 , A S Al-Eid  3 , Ghalib B Horaib  4
Affiliations

Antimicrobial activity of aqueous and organic extracts of a Saudi medicinal plant: Rumex nervosus

Abdul Rahman K Al-Asmari et al. J Pharm Bioallied Sci. 2015 Oct-Dec.

Abstract

Objective: The antimicrobial effect of aerial part of Rumex nervosus obtained from the Southern region of Saudi Arabia was evaluated on bacterial strains Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin resistant S. aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, and fungal strain Candida albicans.

Materials and methods: The solvents used for the extraction were aqueous, hexane, and methanol. The in vitro antimicrobial activity was performed by agar diffusion and disk diffusion methods and the confirmation of this activity was done by the enumeration of colony forming units (CFU).

Results: The aqueous extract showed the growth inhibitory effect on Gram-positive bacteria while the Gram-negative P. aeruginosa was the most sensitive microorganism as determined by the agar diffusion technique. Surprisingly, the extract showed little antibacterial activity on other Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli) by this technique. Ethanolic extract was also found to be inhibitory to the growth of microorganisms. Hexane extract was relatively low in antimicrobial activity on Gram-negative E. coli and P. aeruginosa, while both the organic extracts were inhibitory to the growth of the fungus, C. albicans. Hexane gave no conclusive results with agar or disk diffusion methods, but showed the microbial growth inhibition in CFU enumeration. The antibacterial activity of active extracts was compared with vancomycin while antifungal activity of was compared with amphotericin B.

Conclusion: The results obtained in the present study suggest that R. nervosus showed a marked antimicrobial activity with the test organisms.

Keywords: Antimicrobial activity; Rumex nervosus; Saudi medicinal plant.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Effect of Rumex nervosus plant aqueous extract on the growth of microorganisms showing positive growth inhibition in agar diffusion procedure (organic extracts figures are not shown due to presence of intense color)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Antimicrobial effect of Rumex nervosus extracts in agar diffusion procedure (the organic extracts were used in mg/mL, while the aqueous extract is used as neat and its dilutions)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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