Antimicrobial Activity of some Medicinal Plant Extracts

The antimicrobial activity of aqueous, ethanolic, methanolic and phenolic compound extracts from three Palestinian folkloric medicinal plants, in addition to their commercial oils, were evaluated against ten pathogenic microorganisms. The plants used were sage, thyme and parsley. Five concentrations of leaf extract of the three plants were prepared. The antimicrobial effect of each concentration was measured. The aqueous extracts of sage and thyme were effective against most of the tested microorganisms. Phenolic extract of sage and thyme showed antibacterial activity against Staph. aureus and Enterococcus sp, respectively . On the other hand, E. coli was more affected by the ethanolic extract of parsley which did not elicit pronounced effect on the tested Gram positive organisms. The commercial oils of sage, thyme and parsley displayed no antimicrobial activity against E. coli, Proteus mirabilis and Salmonella typhi. The data obtained revealed that, among the 10 tested microorganisms, Staph. aureus was the most susceptible microbe to most of the plants extracts. Key words: Antimicrobial, medicinal plants, sage, thyme, parsley. Résumé l'activitée antimicrobiale des extraits ethanolique,methanolique et phénolique a partir de trios plante médicinales de Palestine,en addition à leurs huile commercial étaient evalués contre dix micro organisme pathogeniques. les plantes utilisées etaient “sage thyme parsley” .5 concentration differentes des feuilles de ces trios plantes etaient préparées. L'effet antimicrobial de chaque concentration etait mesuré. L'extrait acqueux de sage thyme était effectif contre la plus part des micro-oganismes testés. L'extrait phenolique de sage et thyme montrèrent une activitée antimicrobial contre le staph. Aureus and enterococcus sp, respectivement. De l'autre côté E.coli était plus affecté par l'extrait ethanolique du pasley qui n'a pas élicité un effet pronouncé sur les organisms gram positif testé.l'huile commerciale du sage,parsley, thyme n'on démontre aucune activité antimicrobial contre E.coli, Proteus mirabilis and Salmonella thyphi. Les donne obtenue revèlent qu ‘entre les 10 organismes teste Staph. Aureus etait le microbe le plus susceptible au extraitsdes plantes. Mot cles : Antimicrobial, plante médicinales, sage, thyme, parsley. West Afr. J. Pharmacol. Drug Res. Vol.19 (1&2) 2003: 16-2

Effect Of Oral Administration Of Nitrate On Serum Glucose, Some Lipids, And Non-protein Nitrogen Constituents

An evaluation of the effects of daily oral administration of sodium nitrate for 30 days on serum non-protein nitrogen constituents, eg, urea, uric acid and creatinine, glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides was carried out. The daily oral administration of NaNO3 for 30 days at levels of 25, 75,150 and 300 mg/kg bw increased significantly the concentration of uric acid by 43.68, 68.97, 51.72 and 75.86%, respectively compared to the control level. Nitrate administration raised up the concentration of urea in rabbit's blood serum, in general, at the twentieth and thirtieth days of inoculation. Administration of 150 and 300 mg NaNO3/kg bw for 30 days caused a significant increase in the creatinine level when compared with the control level. In general, glucose content of rabbit's blood serum, increased significantly in response to the administration of NaNO3 levels at the different tested intervals within the thirty days of inoculation. Serum triglycerides content, of the rabbits treated with NaNO3 at the different levels, decreased significantly at the twentieth and thirtieth days of inoculation. Nitrate administrations for 30 days, at the different tested levels, have little effect on the cholesterol concentration. In the twentieth and thirtieth day of inoculation, cholesterol concentration slightly decreased in the serum of treated rabbits in response to the different levels of NaNO3. Finally, nitrate administration for 30 days, even at the lowest tested level, ie, 25 mg/kg bw, had harmful effects on liver, kidney, carbohydrate and lipid metabolisms