Antimicrobial Activity of Neotropical Wood and Bark Extracts |
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| Authors: | Ivelisse Rovira Amy Berkov Ainsley Parkinson Gérard Tavakilian Scott Mori Barbara Meurer-Grimes |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Biological Sciences, Lehman College and The Graduate School of the City University of New York, 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, New York 10468, U.S.A.;2. Institut Francais de Recherche Scientifique pour le Developpement en Cooperation (ORSTOM), Laboratoire d Entomologie forestiere, Centre de Cayenne, B. P. 165, 97323 Cayenne Cedex, France;3. Institute of Systematic Botany, The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York 10458, U.S.A. |
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| Abstract: | A total of 203 wood and bark extracts obtained from a Neotropical lowland rainforest in French Guiana were tested for antimicrobial activity against a panel of four human pathogens. Inhibitory activity against Staphylococcus aureus was regularly observed. Significant growth inhibition against Enterococcus faecilis was found in species belonging to the plant genus Sloanea (Elaeocarpaceae) and various Sapotaceae. The plant genera Eschweilera, Gustavia and Couratari (Lecythidaceae) showed notable growth inhibitory activity against both Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecilis. Fractionation of the active extracts showed that the activities against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria appear to be associated with different compounds. In some cases several replicates were sampled, showing that intraspecific activity levels may vary. The results of the screening experiments are compared to eth nomedicinal information available from northern South America and adjacent areas. |
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| Keywords: | Achillea. species DPPH free radical scavenging activity |
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