Abstract

^aSchool of Postgraduate Studies and Research, International Medical University, No. 126,Jalan Jalil Perkasa 19, Bukit Jalil, 57000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

^bSchool of Pharmacy, International Medical University, No. 126, Jalan Jalil Perkasa 19, BukitJalil, 57000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

^cSchool of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, International MedicalUniversity, No. 126, Jalan Jalil Perkasa 19, Bukit Jalil, 57000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

^dSchool of Pharmacy, Department of Life Sciences, International Medical University, No.126, Jalan Jalil Perkasa 19, Bukit Jalil, 57000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

ABSTRACT

In the past decades, plants have been exploited as traditional therapeutic agents. This has led to recent studies which had been carried out on plants for investigations of their medicinal uses. The objective of this study was to evaluate and determine antimicrobial activity of different extracts from the stem bark and leaves of Dillenia obovata against five Gram-positive and six Gram-negative bacteria, seven yeasts and three fungi. Using disc diffusion method followed by broth microdilution, the results highlighted the most potent activity of hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of leaves were against Bacillus cereus with a minimum inhibition concentration of 0.0625mg/mL. Hexane, methanol, ethyl actetate and water extracts of stem bark and leaves exhibited broadest spectrum of antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus and Bacillus subtilis. Our findings suggest that D. obovata has the potential to be a good alternative to the conventional antimicrobial drugs which are usually associated with high toxicity and multiple side effects.

Keywords: Dillenia; antimicrobial activity, disc diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration, resazurin.