Antimicrobial effect of Eysenhardtia polystachya homemade extracts on bacteria causing urinary tract infections

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the in vitro antimicrobial effect of homemade preparations of Eysenhardtia polystachya, obtained by maceration or by infusion, on bacteria that cause urinary tract infections. Methodology: Microdilution assays were performed in 96-well plates where bacterial suspensions were co-incubated with different dilutions of homemade extracts, as well as a control for comparison using a commercial extract of the plant. Subsequently, the absorbance at 600 nm was measured to be considered as a direct measure of bacterial growth. For each culture, the values were normalized to growth percentage from the absorbance value obtained in the wells without extract. Contribution: The results show that the homemade extracts have a partial antimicrobial effect on the growth of the bacteria used in this work. The effect was the same between the extract by infusion and the extract by maceration against Gram negative bacteria. On the other hand, the extract by infusion showed a better effect than the extract by maceration on Gram positive bacteria. None of the homemade extracts achieved the antimicrobial effect of the commercial extract. This work corroborates the empirical knowledge of the use of homemade preparations of Eysenhardtia polystachya to treat urinary tract infections.