Screening of Commiphora schimperi (O. Berg) from Iramba district in Tanzania for antibacterial activities
Abstract
Commiphora schimperi gum-resin from Iramba district, Tanzania was screened for in vitro antibacterial activities by disk diffusion method. The bacteria employed were Gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) and Gram negative (Salmonella gallinarum and Escherichia coli). The results indicated that C. schimperi methanol and petroleum ether extracts were effective against S. aureus and B. subtilis. The methanol extract (200 mg/mL) caused complete zone of inhibition (17.6 ± 0.5 mm) against S. aureus while petroleum ether extract (200 mg/mL) caused a mean inhibition zone of 12.3 ± 0.9 mm against B. subtilis. This preliminary finding shows that C. schimperi gum-resin has antibacterial effects on some Gram positive bacteria and supports at least in part, the traditional knowledge of local users. Thus, C. schimperi gum-resin can be further subjected to phytochemical, pharmacological and toxicological evaluation.
Keywords: antibacterial activity, Commiphora schimperi, crude extract
It is prohibited to reproduce, distribute and/or adapt any part of the published contents/manuscript without permission of Tanzania Veterinary Journal. The corresponding author shall sign the copyright transfer and submit to Tanzania Veterinary Journal along with the submitted manuscript. The copyright transfer will be valid immediately after acceptance or publication of the manuscript by Tanzania Veterinary Journal. A limited permission is granted to authors to use the published manuscript without asking permissions. Read more on self-archiving policy to see what the author is allowed to do without requesting permission