Antibacterial Activity of Extracts of Ajuga Iva, and Teucrium Polium

Antibiotics provide the main basis for the therapy of microbial (bacterial and fungal) infections. Since the discovery of these antibiotics and their use as chemotherapeutic agents there was a belief in the medical fraternity that this would lead to the eventual eradication of infectious diseases. However, overuse of antibiotics has become the major factor in the emergence and dissemination of multi-drug resistant strains of several groups of microorganisms. Many plants which are used in traditional medicine contain antimicrobial compounds. In this study, the antibacterial activity of methanolic extracts of Teucrium polium and Ajuga iva were tested against five bacteria, E. coli MC 4100, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas diminutus, Paracoccus paratrophus and Micrococcus luteus. T. polium and A. iva plants were collected and allowed to dry in the dark at room temperature. Dried plant material (100g) was added to 1 L of methanol and incubated at room temperature for three days. The crude solution was filtered through muslin cloth, and the filtrate evaporated to dryness. The dried material was dissolved in 2 ml of methanol. Bacterial suspensions (100 μl) were spread on tryptone soya agar (TSA) medium. Plant extracts (10 μl) were applied to discs of filter paper and placed on agar plates containing the microorganisms. The plates were incubated at 37°C for 48h. After incubation the zones of inhibition around the discs was measured. Extracts of T. polium gave zones of inhibition against Bacillus subtilis, Micrococcus luteus and Paracoccus paratrophus of 3.7, 2.0 and 2.0 mm, respectively. A. iva extract only inhibited the growth of Paracoccus paratrophus, giving a zone of inhibition of 3.0.mm. The present results showed that extracts of T. polium inhibited the growth of three bacterial species. Extracts of A. iva, on the other hand, inhibited only one bacterium. Key word: Ajuga iva, antibacterial activity, plant extracts, Teucrium polium.