Antimicrobial activity of mangrove plant (Lumnitzera littorea).

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the antimicrobial activities of n-hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of the leaves of Lumnitzera littorea (L. littorea) against six human pathogenic microbes.

METHODS

The antimicrobial activity was evaluated using disc diffusion and microdilution methods.

RESULTS

The antimicrobial activities of the crude extracts were increased with increasing the concentration. It is clear that n-hexane extract was the most effective extract. Additionally, Gram positive Bacillus cereus (B. cereus) appear to be the most sensitive strain while Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) and the yeast strains (Candida albicans (C. albicans) and Cryptococcus neoformans (C. neoformans)) appear to be resistance to the tested concentrations since no inhibition zone was observed. The inhibition of microbial growth at concentration as low as 0.04 mg/mL indicated the potent antimicrobial activity of L. littorea extracts.

CONCLUSIONS

The obtained results are considered sufficient for further study to isolate the compounds responsible for the activity and suggesting the possibility of finding potent antibacterial agents from L. littorea extracts.