Antibacterial efficacy of the aqueous and ethanolic extracted dyes from Datura stramonium, Racinus communis, and Galinsoga parviflora plant leaves

Abstract

Traditionally, Datura stramonium, Racinus communis, and Galinsoga perviflora plant leaves are well-known for their healing powers against various human diseases and infections when applied orally and externally. They possess several phytochemicals which are key for their antibacterial and antifungal attributes. In this study, aqueous and ethanolic extraction methods were used to extract the dyes, which were investigated for their antibacterial activity using the disc diffusion method and minimum inhibition concentrations (MIC) by serial dilutions of the original plant dye extracts. Results showed a bigger zone of inhibition (8–18 mm) against both Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa (ATCC 27853) bacterial strains with the aqueous method as compared to the ethanolic method (6–13 mm). The MIC was at 3 and 30 mg/mL for aqueous and ethanolic extracted dyes, respectively, whereas the controls (water and ethanol) were found to not influence the inhibition outcome, thus confirming the presence of antibacterial properties in all selected plants with aqueous being the best extraction method.