Antibacterial efficacy and phytochemical properties of Citrus crenatifolia (Heen Narang) and Citrus reticulata (Jama Narang)
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Date
2024
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Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka
Abstract
The Citrus family encompasses various plant species known for their antibacterial properties. Various parts of Citrus plants have been used in traditional Sri Lankan medicine for an extended period. Citrus reticulata was selected for its established antibacterial properties, providing a foundation to further investigate its potential alongside the less-researched Citrus crenatifolia. The present study was conducted to investigate the antibacterial properties of C. crenatifolia and C. reticulata found in Sri Lanka. Active phytochemicals were extracted from the peels, using the reflux method employed in an aqueous medium. The antibacterial properties of plant extracts were assessed using the well diffusion method against six common bacterial pathogens; Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 23235), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 15442), Proteus mirabilis (ATCC 35659), Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 13883), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) and Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 29212). Double distilled water was used as the negative control, while commonly used antibiotics (ampicillin, penicillin, gentamicin, vancomycin, augmentin, and ciprofloxacin) served as the positive controls. A McFarland standard was employed for each test microbe. The diameter of inhibition zones was measured after incubation, and statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS software package. The independent sample t-test revealed that there was no significant difference between the mean values of the control and both peel sample extractions for all tested bacteria. (p = 0.115). There was no statistically significant difference in antibacterial activity among the six microbes according to the One-Way ANOVA test for C. reticulata (p = 0.271). But there was a statistically significant difference in the antibacterial activity of C. crenatifolia (One-Way ANOVA: p = 0.021). Tukey’s Post-Hoc analysis of C. crenatifolia extract showed a significant difference in the mean inhibition zone diameters between S. aureus and P. aeruginosa (p = 0.044) as well as S. aureus and K. pneumoniae (p = 0.049). The antibacterial activities of both extracts were supported by the presence of phytochemicals such as alkaloids, steroids, flavonoids, phenol, and tannins which showed combination effects. Anyhow, saponins were not detected in both extracts. The present findings highlight the potential of C. crenatifolia and C. reticulata extracts as valuable sources of antibacterial agents, warranting potential applications in the field of microbial control. Further investigation to elucidate its specific mechanisms of action is recommended.
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Keywords
Antibacterial, Inhibition, Phytochemicals, Well diffusion
Citation
Salwathura I. A.; Deraniyagala N. G. I. A.; Fernando N. H.; Perera M. D.; Perera E. H. L.; Ranasinghe H. A. K. (2024), Preparation and laboratory evaluation of herbal stick formulations using mosquito repellent plant materials against Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, Proceedings of the International Conference on Applied and Pure Sciences (ICAPS 2024-Kelaniya) Volume 4, Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka. Page 22