Antimicrobial activity of Hibiscus sabdariffa extract against bacteria

Abstract

Objective: Some Hibiscus species have been used in folk medicine for the last centuries. The purpose of this study is to screen the possible antimicrobial and antioxidant properties as well as total phenolic and flavonoid contents of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. var. amasiaca and Hibiscus sabdariffa. Methods: In order to chromatographically analyse resveratrol and flavonoid content of methanolic extracts of Hibiscus species HPLC was used. Total phenolic constituents of methanolic extracts of these plants were performed. The DPPH and ABTS.+ scavenging ability of methanolic extracts of Hibiscus species aerial parts were determined. Antimicrobial activities of extracts were determinated by the disc diffusion method against test microorganisms. Results: The total phenolic content was higher in Hibiscus sabdariffa L. var. amasiaca with value of 119.45 mg GAE/g extre than Hibiscus sabdariffa (118.08 mg GAE /g extre). Resveratrol content was also higher in Hibiscus sabdariffa L. var. amasiaca (3.65 μg/ml) than Hibiscus sabdariffa (0.5 μg/ml). Just as kaempferol was a major flavonoid content for Hibiscus sabdariffa L. var. amasiaca (350.45 μg/ml), katesin was a major flavonoid content for Hibiscus sabdariffa (315.5 μg/ml). Additionally it was determined that Hibiscus sabdariffa L. var. amasiaca and Hibiscus sabdariffa had antimicrobial and antioxidant properties at different rates. However, these plants did not exhibit any antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli ATCC 11229, Candida albicans ATCC 10231 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Conclusions: Hibiscus sabdariffa L. var. amasiaca and Hibiscus sabdariffa possess antibacterial and antioxidant properties. Moreover, these plants have high total phenolic contents and flavonoid contents. Accordingly, these plants can be used for food and in industries