Utvärdering av antibakteriell aktivitet hos växtextrakt utvunna från svenska örter

Infections caused by antibiotic resistant pathogenic bacteria is an increasing issue inhealthcare, and development of new antimicrobial substances could contribute to combat the continued spread. Plants have historically been used in traditional medicine, have intrinsic defense mechanisms against microbes, and could therefore be a source for new antimicrobial agents. At the Department of Chemistry and Biomedicine at Linnaeus University, Kalmar, a total of 18 extracts made from 9 different combinations of Swedish-growing plants were available.The purpose of the current thesis was to investigate possible antimicrobial effects of the plant extracts in vitro, on a selection of Gram-positive (n=3) and Gram-negative (n=4) bacterial strains. Initial screening of all 18 extracts was performed with agar-based methods including agar well diffusion and direct application on inoculated agar. Detection of concentration-dependent antimicrobial effects was performed with four extracts on Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis. At inhibitory concentrations, viability was estimated as colony forming units/ml (CFU/ml).Screening showed that 11 of 18 extracts affected the growth of at least one of the strains tested. Gram-positive species were affected to a greater extent than Gram-negatives. Estimation of concentration dependency showed inhibitory effects at 50 mg/l in the most potent extracts. Viability estimation revealed an average reduction for both S. aureus and E. faecalis, as compared to the positive control. In conclusion, the study showed possible antimicrobial effects of several extract-bacteria combinations, disclosing potential substances for further investigations