Antioxidant potential and antibacterial activities of Allium cepa (onion) and Allium sativum (garlic) against the multidrug resistance bacteria

Abstract Background The increase in the demand for synthetic drugs due to the surge in the cases of drug-resistant infectious organisms has led to the search for new medicines in plants. Some plants have phytochemicals that can serve medicinal purposes. This study focuses on the antibacterial activity and antioxidant potential of Allium sativum and Allium cepa extract on bacterial isolates isolated from the wound of diabetic patients. Agar well-diffusion method was used for the antibacterial susceptibility. Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli were used for this study. The total phenolic content of the extract was determined using standard Spectrophotometric techniques. Results The ethanolic extract of each plant had higher inhibitory effects against the bacterial isolates than the aqueous extracts. The zone of inhibition of each ethanolic section ranged from 3 to 12.5 mm, while the aqueous extracts ranged from 4 to 10 mm. The highest antimicrobial activity was observed at 150 mg/ml in A. sativum ethanolic extract when tested against Staphylococcus aureus, which resulted in a zone of inhibition of 12.5 mm. The aqueous and ethanolic extracts of A. cepa have higher phenolic content than that of A. sativum. Conclusion This research showed that the ethanolic and aqueous extracts of both plants vary in their abilities to serve act as antioxidants and antimicrobials