Investigating the antibacterial activity of ethanol extract of the medicinal plant ruta graveolens

Abstract EN

Ruta graveolens is a commonly used curative plant and indigenous to the Mediterranean region.

In the present study, the ethanolic extraction of R.

graveolens leaves and stems was tested for antibacterial effects against Enterococcus faecalis , Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Escherichia coli , Pseudomonas aeruginosa .The leaves (60g) and stems (60g) of R.

graveolens were collected; shade dried and powdered using a grinder.

After soaking the powder in 200 ml of 96% ethanol for 24 hours and filtering it, the precipitant was air dried and 100 ml of distilled water was added to it.

Both leaves and stems extracts showed inhibitory properties on gram negative and gram positive bacteria.

S.

pyogenes and S.

aureus were strongly affected by the stems extract while E.coli had the highest inhibition zones among the bacteria which were treated with the leaves extract.

The aim of the present study is to estimate the antibacterial efficacy of R.

graveolens against bacterial isolates and that could open the possibility for the development of novel antibiotics