Abstract

EVALUATION OF ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF AQUEOUS AND METHANOLIC EXTRACTS OF POMEGRANATE PEELS (PUNICA GRANATUM LIN.) AGAINST SOME BACTERIA

Abeer Abdul-Ratha Abass Al-Hassnawi*

Abstract

Currently, uncontrolled and repeated use of antibiotic may be cause evolution of microbial resistance among pathogenic agents. Consequently, the use of new artificial and natural antimicrobial compounds is inevitable. In this study was designed to evaluated the antibacterial effectiveness of aqueous and methanol extract of pomegranate peels against six types of bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia, Streptococcus pyogenes, Proteus mirabilis). The antibacterial effectiveness of pomegranate peel extract was studied and compared with Tetracycline which used as Positive Control.The various Concentrations (25, 50,75, 100mg/ml) of the methanol and aqueous peel extracts were tested and Evaluations were done by using agar well diffusion technique for the inhibition zone determination. The results obtained were encouraging as the methanol extract showed greater zones of inhibition against the various bacteria tested in comparison with the aqueous extract. The greatest zone of inhibition induced by the action of pomegranate peel extracts was obtained from Staphylococcus aureus 22.33 mm at (100) mg/ml in methanol extract while the smallest zone of inhibition was obtained from pseudomonas aerognosa 5.5 mm at (25) mg/ ml in aqueous extract. The antibacterial effect of pomegranate peels extracts was more effectiveness against Gram-positive bacteria than Gram-negative bacteria.

Keywords: Pomegranate peel, Tetracycline, methanol and aqueous peel extracts, Antibacterial activity.