In Vitro Antibacterial Activity of Crude Extracts of Artocarpus heterophyllus Seeds against Selected Diarrhoea-Causing Superbug Bacteria

Abstract

The current upsurge in resistance to conventional antibiotics, as well as high cost of orthodox medical treatment, called for the use of medicinal plants as an alternative therapy. This research was aimed at determining the antibacterial activity of Artocarpus heterophyllus seed extracts (Jackfruit as it is locally called) in the treatment of diarrhoea. Ethanolic and hexanolic seed crude extracts of the plant were screened for antidiarrhoeal activity against bacteria isolated from clinical samples (methicillin-resistant and susceptible Staphylococcus aureus, multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, ciprofloxacin-resistant Salmonella typhimurium, and third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli). Plant phytochemical screening was conducted using standard methods. The antibacterial activity was carried out using the agar well diffusion method and compared to the standard antibiotics ceftriaxone and vancomycin. The minimum inhibitory concentration was determined by the microbroth dilution method, whereas the minimum bactericidal concentration was determined by plating out from microtitre plates with no visible growth. The results of phytochemical screening revealed the presence of tannins, flavonoids, reducing sugars, cardiac glycosides, saponins, and steroids from the prepared crude extracts. The ethanolic and hexanolic extracts had activity on multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus with the mean and standard error zone of inhibition that ranged from 8.5 ± 0.5 to 16.5 ± 0.25 mm; however, the extracts were found not to have activity on resistant E. coli and Salmonella typhimurium. The ethanolic crude extract had the lowest MIC and MBC values of 31.25 and 125 mg/ml, respectively, compared to the hexane extract which had the MIC and MBC values of 62.50 and 250 mg/ml, respectively. This provides the evidence for its usage as an alternative herbal remedy for the treatment of diarrhoea caused by susceptible and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and multidrug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Seeds extract of three Artocarpus species: Their in-vitro antibacterial activities against multidrug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli isolates from urinary tract infections (UTIs)

“…Ethanol solvents produced extracts with better antibacterial potential than the other solvents (Prastiyanto et al 2020d). These results are in line with the results of previous research on an ethanol extract of A. heterophyllus seeds which produced higher solubility of the active substances than the hexanes (Eve et al 2020). This can be attributed to the higher solubility of the seed phytochemical compounds of the seeds in ethanol than in hexane.…”

“…The results of this study can be concluded that the seed ethanol extract of three species of Artocarpus, namely A. lanceipolius, A. elasticus, and A. odoratissimus has the potential as antibacterial agents against MDR-E. coli. However, previous research by Eve et al (2020) showed that the ethanol extract of A. heterophyllus seeds which is a member of the genus Artocarpus did not have antibacterial activities against MDR-E. coli.…”

“…Phytochemical analysis (tannins and flavonoids) of the crude extracts of A. lanceipolius, A. elasticus, and A. odoratissimus seeds was carried out using previously described methods (Eve et al 2020)…”

“…Seed extracts of A. heterophyllus, A. champeden, and A. camansi against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) had MIC values of 15.62 mg/mL (Prastiyanto et al 2020a). A. heterophyllus seed extract had a MIC value of 125 mg/mL against MDR-Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Eve et al 2020).…”

The potency of Sansevieria trifasciata and S. cylindrica leaves extracts as an antibacterial against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

“…These antibacterial components may be bacteriostatic or bacteriocidal (Wu and Li 2016). Eve et al (2020) report that the susceptibility of gramnegative bacteria to antibacterial agents is due to the composition of various cell wall structures such as peptidoglycan, lipids, and cross-linking, which can greatly influence the penetration, binding, and activity of antimicrobial agents. P. aeruginosa is a gram-negative bacterium with a high-fat content in its cell walls (11-22%).…”