Antimicrobial Experiment
Title
Antimicrobial properties in different type of plants.
Introduction
A substance that kills or prevents the growth of microorganisms for example bacteria, fungi or protozoans is called an antimicrobial. This substance has 2 major roles which are to either kill microbes (microbiocidal) or prevent the growth of microbes (microbiostatic). Disinfectants are antimicrobial substances used on non-living objects outside the body. This substance included antibiotics, antifungals, antiprotozoals and antivirals.(1) For a long period of time, plants have been a valuable source of natural products for maintaining human health. It has shown some gradual increase in pharmaceutical purposes in Brazil. According to World Health Organization medicinal plants would be the best source to obtain a variety of drugs. About 80% of individuals from developed countries use traditional medicine, which has compounds derived from medicinal plants. Therefore such plants should be investigated to better understand their properties, safety and efficiency. In the last few years, studies have been conducted in different countries to prove the efficiency of plants in having its own antimicrobial properties. Many plants have been used because of their antimicrobial traits, which are due to compounds synthesized in the secondary metabolism of the plants. These products are known by their active substances, for example, the phenolic compounds which are part of the essential oils, as well as in tannin. The antimicrobial properties of plants have been investigated by a number of researcher worldwide, especially in Latin America. It was proven that from 122 known plant tested, a vast number of plant shown antimicrobial properties to some bacteria such as Staphylococus aureus and Escherichia coli(2). It is estimated that today, plant materials are present in, or have provided the models for 50% Western drugs (Robbers 1996). Many commercially proven drugs used in modern medicine were
Antimicrobial properties in different type of plants.
Introduction
A substance that kills or prevents the growth of microorganisms for example bacteria, fungi or protozoans is called an antimicrobial. This substance has 2 major roles which are to either kill microbes (microbiocidal) or prevent the growth of microbes (microbiostatic). Disinfectants are antimicrobial substances used on non-living objects outside the body. This substance included antibiotics, antifungals, antiprotozoals and antivirals.(1) For a long period of time, plants have been a valuable source of natural products for maintaining human health. It has shown some gradual increase in pharmaceutical purposes in Brazil. According to World Health Organization medicinal plants would be the best source to obtain a variety of drugs. About 80% of individuals from developed countries use traditional medicine, which has compounds derived from medicinal plants. Therefore such plants should be investigated to better understand their properties, safety and efficiency. In the last few years, studies have been conducted in different countries to prove the efficiency of plants in having its own antimicrobial properties. Many plants have been used because of their antimicrobial traits, which are due to compounds synthesized in the secondary metabolism of the plants. These products are known by their active substances, for example, the phenolic compounds which are part of the essential oils, as well as in tannin. The antimicrobial properties of plants have been investigated by a number of researcher worldwide, especially in Latin America. It was proven that from 122 known plant tested, a vast number of plant shown antimicrobial properties to some bacteria such as Staphylococus aureus and Escherichia coli(2). It is estimated that today, plant materials are present in, or have provided the models for 50% Western drugs (Robbers 1996). Many commercially proven drugs used in modern medicine were
References: (1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimicrobial (2) http://www.scielo.br/pdf/bjm/v31n4/a03v31n4.pdf (3) http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1999/v4-457.html (4) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimicrobial (5) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_subtilis (6)http://www.fins.uns.ac.rs/index.php?mact=Magazines,cntnt01,details,0&cntnt01hierarchyid=6&cntnt01sortby=magazine_id&cntnt01sortorder=asc&cntnt01summarytemplate=current&cntnt01detailtemplate=detaljno&cntnt01cd_origpage=178&cntnt01magazineid=50&cntnt01returnid=188 (7) http://www.livestrong.com/article/158124-the-antibacterial-properties-of-plant-essential-oils/