Inhibitory effects of <i>Phyllanthus amarus</i> extracts on the growth of some pathogenic microorganisms

Abstract

This study evaluated the inhibitory effects of Phyllanthus amarus extracts on Staphylococcus aureus,  Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans. These effects were compared with those of ampicillin, gentamicin and pefloxacin. Phytochemical  analysis showed that the plant contained flavonoids, steroids, terpenes, alkaloids, benzenoids, saponins and lipids. This plant was found to have remarkable inhibitory effects on the growth of all the  organisms tested; S. aureus was the most susceptible (MIC 20ug/ml) while Pseudomonas aeruginosa and C. albicans were the least susceptible (MIC 30ug/ml). The organisms were inhibited in a dose-dependent manner, the inhibition was almost directly proportional to the extract concentration. The aqueous extract had no significant increase inhibitory effects compared to the ethanol extract (p > 0.05). The standard antibiotics had no greater inhibitory effects on the test organisms in relation to the plant extracts (p>0.05). The in vitro analysis revealed that Phyllanthus amarus possesses an antimicrobial activity comparable with those of standard antibiotic discs. Further works is recommended to determine its suitability in chemotherapy.

Keywords: Inhibitory effects, Phyllanthus amarus extract, Pathogenic microorganisms.