Antimicrobial activity of extracts from Tamarindus indica L. leaves

Abstract

Tamarindus indica L. leaves are reported worldwide as antibacterial and antifungal agents; however, this observation is not completely accurate in the case of Cuba. In this article, decoctions from fresh and sun dried leaves, as well as fluid extracts prepared with 30 and 70% ethanol-water and the pure essential oil from tamarind leaves were microbiologically tested against Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudomona aeruginosa and Candida albicans. Aqueous and fluid extracts were previously characterized by spectrophotometric determination of their total phenols and flavonoids, while the essential oil was chemically evaluated by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS). Experimental data suggest phenols as active compounds against B. subtilis cultures, but not against other microorganisms. On the other hand, the essential oil exhibited a good antimicrobial spectrum when pure, but its relative low concentrations in common folk preparations do not allow for any good activity in these extracts.

Comparative Study of Antimicrobial Effects of Lemon Oil and Peel Extract against Food-Spoilage Microbes

“…These observations are in accordance with the earlier observations reported by and they also reported that Gramnegative organisms were less susceptible to the herbal extracts than Gram-positive isolates [3,5]. It may possibly be due to the presence of high lipid content in the cell walls of Gram negative bacteria.…”

In vitro antimicrobial activities of Bidens pilosa and Moringa oleifera leaf extracts and their effects on ground beef quality during cold storage

“…McLaughlin, Daniels, & Yadav, 2013;Hayek & Ibrahim, 2012;Nisa et al, 2013). Other work has also reported the resistance of S. marcescens and P. aeruginosa bacteria to plant extracts (Escalona-Arranz et al, 2010;Koolen et al, 2013). The MIC of extracts against test organisms ranged from 0.6 to 10 mg/mL with B. pilosa showing higher activity against Staphylococcus epidermidis at 0.6 mg/mL (Figure 1).…”

“A thing of beauty is a joy forever”. Plants and plant-based preparations for facial care in Suriname

“…These properties may be attributable to the presence in the plant of various phytochemicals with, among others, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties [191,192,193,194]. T. indica leaves contain various polyphenols and flavonoids with wound healing-stimulating properties [195,196], the seeds contain the hemicellulose xyloglucan which can protect the skin from the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation [197], and the seed oil contains abundant amounts of linoleic acid and oleic acid [194].…”