Antibacterial activity of hibiscus sabdariffa against urinary tract infecting bacteria

Abstract

There have been several reports on the antimicrobial activity of different herbal extracts. Medicinal plants are believed to be the best source for obtaining a variety of drugs. Hibiscus sabdariffa L. is a medicinal plant known for its nutritional delicacy and medicinal properties such as the treatment of diseases like hypertension, coughs, biliousness, boils and wounds. Currently, the main therapy for bacterial infections is the use of synthetic antibiotics. However, the misuse and overuse of antibiotics has become the key factor for the emergence of drug resistant strains of several groups of microorganisms, hence the need to investigate the antimicrobial properties of medicinal plants. The objectives of the study were to determine the antibacterial potency of wild and cultivated Hibiscus sabdariffa L. of the Arua region, Uganda against selected urinary tract infecting bacteria (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus). Secondly, to compare the antibacterial activity of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. aqueous and ethanolic extracts against selected urinary tract bacterial infections. Lastly, to establish minimum inhibitory concentration of wild and cultivated H. sabdariffa extracts. The antibacterial activities of wild and cultivated H. sabdariffa calyces and leaves extracts were tested against selected urinary tract infection bacteria (E. coli and S. aureus) using Agar well Diffusion and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration Methods. The wild calyces of the plant gave the highest inhibitory effect (Pwhich could significantly inhibit the growth of bacteria. It is recommended that more studies should be done using different solvents for extracting only the important compounds from the H. sabdariffa plant. Purification measures would also be necessary. Additionally, there is a need to investigate the phytochemical compounds from the H. sabdariffa plant part extracts.