TY  - JOUR
T1  - Evaluation of the Antimicrobial Activity of Aqueous Pomegranate (<I>Punica granatum </I>L.) Extract Against Shigella
AU - Ruiz Parra, Valeria I. AU - Gaudioso, Cristina AU - Cecilia, Marta AU - Silva, Clara 
JO  - Research Journal of Biological Sciences
VL  - 6
IS  - 5
SP  - 205
EP  - 212
PY  - 2011
DA  - 2001/08/19
SN  - 1815-8846
DO  - rjbsci.2011.205.212
UR  - https://makhillpublications.co/view-article.php?doi=rjbsci.2011.205.212
KW  - Antimicrobial effect
KW  -pomegranate
KW  -Shigella
KW  -bacterial activity
KW  -antibiotic
KW  -Argentina
AB  - Enteropathogen-caused diarrhea in Latin America is prevalent in children. The increasing number of reports on antibiotic resistance of Shigella in several parts of the world, recommend the search of alternative therapies. The use of natural inhibiting substances is an alternative treatment. The current study assessed <I>in vitro</I> antimicrobial activity of Aqueous Extracts (AE) from pomegranate peel (<I>Punica granatum </I>L.) against clinical isolates of Shigella using the following techniques; agar diffusion, Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), Minimal Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) and bactericidal activity (death curve). Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of active inhibitors in the peel including phenolics and flavonoids. The AE from the pomegranate peel showed highest inhibition against <I>Shigella flexneri</I> with a MIC of 250 &#956;g mL<SUP>-1</SUP> and a MBC of 500 &#956;g mL<SUP>-1</SUP>. The death curve decreased 3 log units after 4 h indicating a bactericidal effect and photomicrographs showed the loss of cell wall integrity. AE activity was related to the higher content (46%) of total phenolic compounds.
ER  -