Antimicrobial Activity of Different Aqueous Pomegranate (Rumman) Extracts against Different Human Pathogens
ABSTRACT Introduction and Objectives Pomegranate is an ancient fruit with an illustrious medical history and has been the subject of classical reviews for over 100 years. It is a fruit with exceptionally rich ethnomedical applications. The peel (pericarp) is well regarded for its astringent properties; the seeds for conferring invulnerability in combat and stimulating beauty and fertility. The aim of this study is to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of different parts of rumman against different microbial isolates.
Methods
The antmicrobial effects of aqueous extracts of peel, seed and fresh juice of Punica granatum (Pomegranate) against 5 Gram-positive and 6 Gram-negative bacterial and one yeast isolates, including S. aureus, S.epidermidis, S. pyogenes, E. feacalis, S. pneumoniae, Ps. aeruginosa, E. aerogenes, K. pneumoniae, E. coli, S. typhi, M. catarrhalis and candida albicanis, all of them were studied using the well-agar diffusion method.
Results Fresh juice and aqueous extract of peels showed the highest antimicrobial activity against different Gram-positive, Gram-negative and yeast isolates, while the aqueous extract of the seed showed the lowest inhibition activity. Conclusions The present study showed that the tested pomegranate parts exhibited strong antibacterial and anticandidal activities, and it could be exploited as a potential source of natural antimicrobials. Keywords-Antimicrobial activity, rumman, pomegranate, Punica granatum, aqueous extracts.