Antibacterial Activity Of Aqueous And Ethanolic Extract Of Curcuma Longa And Zingiber Officinale And Their Synergistic Effect On Four Test Organism Which Includes S. Aureus, E. Coli, P. Aeruginosa And Salmonella Species

The use of plants in the management, treatment and cure of diseases and infectious is as old as mankind. Whole or parts of different plants are used  as medicine  or components  of medicine  in ethnomedical  formulations . Anne–Catherine (2007)  reported the most ancient  recorded  use  of plant  in medicine to be  in China  and  that the use of  historic  approach  in the  treatment  of human  diseases  is still in practice  there. According to Odugbemei (2006) more than 400,000 species  of tropical flavouring  plants possess medicinal  properties and as such,  traditional  medicine  is not far fetched  and much  less  expensive . Medicinal plants  are important  sources  for the  verification of pharmacological effect and can be natural  composite sources that act as new anti-infectious agents (Ushimaru et al., 2007). Medical plants have a long history  of use  and  their  use is wide spread all over the world. According to the report of the World Health  Organization 80%  of the world’s  population rely  mainly on  traditional  therapies which involve the use of plant  extracts  or their  active  substances (Sofowora, 1999). The herbal medicines may be in form of  powders, liquids, or mixture, which may be raw, boiled, ointments, liniments and  incisions  (Malu and Obochi et al., 2009). Development of bacterial resistance to the available antibiotics and increasing popularity of traditional medicine has led researcher to investigate the antibacterial  compound  in plants. The natural products are found to be more effective with least side effects as compared to commercial antibiotics, so for this reason plants are used as alternative  remedy for treatment of various infections (Tepe et al., 2004). They are also less expensive, acceptance due to long history of use, and being renewable  in nature (Gur et al., 2006). Many medicinal plants produce antioxidant and antimicrobial properties  which  protect the host from cellular oxidation reactions and other pathogens  highlighting the importance of search  for  natural antimicrobial drugs. (Bajapai et al., 2005; Mothana and Lindequist, 2005; Wojdylo et al., 2007).  The India system of holistic medicine  known as “Ayuruedia” uses mainly plant-based drugs or formulations to treat various ailments, including cancer. Of the at least 877 small molecule drugs introduced worldwide between 1981 and 2002, the origins of most  (61%) can be traced to natural  products (Newman and Crag 2007). Although many synthetic drugs are produced through combinatorial chemistry, plant-based drugs are more suitable, at least in biochemical terms, for human  use.  (Parrekh and Chanda 2007) further elaborated that higher  plants represented  a potential  source  of novel antibiotics  prototypes.

Ginger(Zingiber officinale) and Turmeric(Curcuma longa) are two plants  that are used as  addictives in foods usually in the form of species, colorant, preservative  and  are known  to posses medicinal values (Vasala, 2001). Available records established the use of Zingiber  officinale  in the treatment of wide  range  of diseases, It has also been implicated  to have  positive  effect in protection of  gastro mucosa from stress induced  mucosa lesions, inhibited gastric acid secretion, and offered antioxidant protection against oxidative stress-induced gastric damages (Nanjundaiah et al., 2009).

 Zingiber officinale was also well regarded for its ability to fight inflammation, to cleanse colon, reduce spasms and cramps  and to  stimulate  circulation. So it was well justified  for the  India’s Ayuruedic and the ancient Chinese herbalists that had used ginger for 5,000 years  as a medicinal   panacea for curing various illness (Ghaly and Shalaby et al., 2009). Nwaopra et al (2009) reported that Zingiber officinale had  strong antibacterial  and to some extent  antifungal properties. On the other hand, El-shouny and Magaam (2009)  reported   that in comparison  to thyme,  black tea, green tea and Cinnamon extracts, Zingiber officinale  extract obviously was the most effective  antimicrobial agent, against the multiplication of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Evidence found through research show that the Zingiber officinale active ingredients that contributed to its antimicrobial properties were likely resided in its volatile oils, which  comprised of approximately  1 to 3% of its  weight. (Oonmetta- aree et al., 2006) listed essential oils (bisabolene, phelladrene, citral, borneol, citonellol, etc), oleoresin (gingerol, shogaol), phenol, vitamins and minerals  as the Zingiber officinale ingredients. Then, (MDidea.com. 2009) described that the primary constituents of Zingiber officinale root were essential oil which includes Zingiberene, Zingiberole, camphene, cineole, borneol, bisabolene, cineole, phellandrene, citral, citronellol, linalool,  limonene. Phenol which includes: gingerol and Zingerone. Oleorsins which  are gingerol and shogoal. Proteolytic enzyme: Zingibain, and others includes mucilage , protein,  vitamin B6, Vitamin C, calcium, magnesium,  phosphorus, potassium, sulphur,  linoleic  acid  and vegeto matters   such as gum, starch , lignin asmazone, acetic acid and acetate  of potash.

 Curcuma longa on its own conatins phenolic compounds  called curcuminoids that possess all  the bio-protective  properties  of this  plant. Crude Curcuma longa extracts have both antioxidant and antimicrobial  capacities  so that it could be potent  alternative to common antibiotics (Goel, 2009). Its extracts are found to show antibacterial  activity against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (Kim et al., 2005). Several pharmacological activities  and medicinal  applications of Curcuma longa are recorded (Araujo and leon, 2001). With these observations, both  Zingiber officinale  and Curcuma  longa  may find places in the current  search for a novel antibiotics  to  check the continuous evaluation of bacteria resistance  to drugs.