Toxicologie environnementale et analytique

Antibacterial In-Vitro Activities of Selected Medicinal Plants against Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus from Libyan Environment

Abstract

Yousef M Abouzeed, Abdurrezagh Elfahem, Fraje Zgheel and Mohamed O Ahmed

Medicinal plants are valuable natural sources effective against various infectious agents. Extracts from Libyan traditional medicinal plants were investigated for antibacterial activity. In this study, the potential antibacterial activity of extracts from eight Libyan traditional medicinal plants against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was investigated in-vitro. Susceptibility assays using disc diffusion and broth microdilution test for the determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) were used to assess the antibacterial activity of methanolic extracts from medicinal plants. Extracts from all eight plants showed anti-MRSA activity with MIC values ranged between 25-50 mg/ml. Cistus salvifolius, Salvia officinalis, Pistacia atantica, Arbutus pavarii, and Myrtus communis exhibited the most potent anti-MRSA activity, whereas extracts from Teucrium polium, Thymus capitellatus, and Euphorbia dendroides showed weak anti-MRSA activity. Medicinal plants may serve as useful bactericidal agents and warrant further investigation to better evaluate their particular therapeutic potentials and optimize their application.