In vitro pharmacological activity of the crude acetone extract of Erythrina caffra Thunb: antibacterial and antifungal assessment

摘要

The antimicrobial activity of stem bark acetone extract ofErythrina caffraThunb. against medically important pathogenswas evaluated by determining the inhibition zones andthe minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the extract. The result showed that the extract had good antimicrobial activity against the tested bacterial and fungal isolates with the increases in the inhibition zones being concentration dependent. The degree of the antibacterial activity indicated that the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranged between0.0195and 1.25 mg/ml while the minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) ranged between0.0391and 1.25 mg/ml for the extract. The extract was less potent than the standard antibiotic, ciprofloxacin, having MIC values of (0.0195 to 0.625 µg/ml). For the fungal isolates, the MIC andminimum fungicidal concentration (MFC)values ranged between0.625 and 20 mg/ml. Though the results showed that the bacteria were more susceptible to the extract than the fungi, the extract inhibited Gram-negative bacteria more than the Gram-positive bacteria at low concentrations. This study shows a broad spectrum and great therapeutic potential of the plantwith the ability to attract significant scientific attention.