Antimicrobial efficacy of hibiscus schizopetalus [Mast] hook

ABSTRACT

Plants are an important source of antimicrobial products, most of them are efficacious against diverse organisms including fungi, yeasts and bacteria, insects and nematodes. The present study was aimed at measuring the antimicrobial effects of methanolic extract of flower and leaves of Hibiscus schizopetalus [Mast] Hook. Antibacterial and antifungal activities of H. schizopetalus extracts [HFE and HLE] were evaluated by the agar well diffusion and agar dilution methods, respectively. The flower extract of H. schizopetalus [HFE] revealed antibacterial activity against Streptococcus pyogenes, S. faecalis, Enterobacter aerogenes and Proteus vulgaris with zone of inhibition of 5 mm, 9 mm, 3 mm, 6 mm, respectively. The extracts [HFE and HLE] showed prominent activity against human pathogens Aspergillus flavus, A. niger and specially for Candida albicans with zone of inhibition of 5 mm, 4 mm, 10 mm, 6 mm, 3 mm and 14 mm, respectively. The microbial inhibitory effects of the extracts of flower and leaves of H. schizopetalus are favorable to introduce this plant as potential candidate for new drug development regarding treatment of diseases caused by these pathogens