Antimicrobial activity of some phytochemical compounds against antibiotics resistant bacteria

Abstract

Plant secondary metabolites are important naturally occurring substances from renewable sources, which can be used for disinfections of animal farms. This research focuses on antimicrobial activities of plant compounds (phenols, flavonoids, essential oils) isolated and identified from species of Lamium album L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., Monarda didyma L. and Angelica archangelica L. grown in Lithuania. The total amounts of phenolic compounds and total amounts of flavonoids were tested in the methanolic extracts of the plants. The essential oils were analyzed by gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The study showed that the phytochemical composition of the plants investigated differs considerably. In our study, plants extracts were tested on their disinfecting effects against different bacterial species by determination the minimal inhibition concentrations (MIC). Investigated microorganisms were Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris and Staphylococcus aureus with and without antibiotic resistances. Isolates with antibiotic resistances originate from poultry farms and are known to occur even in air. Preliminary results show that the MIC range between 4 – 13% for the different extracts and bacterial species.