Screening of some local plants of the Itawes of Cagayan for antimicrobial activities

• Main Author: Turingan, Oscar Maramag
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 1990
• Subjects: Plants > Analysis; Plants > Microbiology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/1289
• Institution: De La Salle University

Twenty-five local plants of the Itawes of Cagayan were tested for the presence of antimicrobial properties against the gram-positive bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes, against the gram-negative bacteria: Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi and against the fungi: Candida albicans and Geotrichum candidum. The fresh young leaves of the plants were extracted using five solvents namely: ether, ethyl alcohol, acetone, chloroform, and distilled water and were tested against the six test microorganisms using the filter paper disc-diffusion method of assay. Of the twenty-five plants tested, 16 or 64 percent exhibited zones of inhibition of different diameters. The plants whose extracts showed inhibiting activities against Staphylococcus aureus were Amorphophallus campanulatus (Roxb.) Blume, Citrus aurantifolia (Christm,) Swingle, Triphasia trifolia (Burm.f.) P. Wills., and Cardiospermum halicacabum Linn. against Candida albicans were Phyllanthus reticulatus Poir., Allaeanthus luzonicus (Blanco) F. Vill., Streblus asper Lour., Ficus fiskei Elm., Ficus septica Burm.f., Alocasia macrorrhiza (Linn.) Schott, Amorphophallus campanulatus (Roxb.) Blume, Citrus aurantifolia (Christm.) Swingle, Cardiospermum halicacabum Linn., Adonida merrilli (Becc.), Cordia dichotoma Forst.f. and Passiflora foetida Linn. and against Geotrichum candidum were Phyllanthus reticulatus Poir. and Ficus septica Burm.f. None of the extracts tested had any antimicrobial activity against Streptococcus pyogenes, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi. Ethyl alcohol was the best extracting solvent among those tested followed by chloroform, ether, acetone and distilled water in that order.