In-vitro study on the antibacterial and antifungal effects of different aqueous and alcoholic extracts from Curcuma Longa rhizomes.

Background: Turmeric (Curcuma Longa) has been popular, since ancient times, in both nutritional and medicinal recipes. In modern science, studies have proven its effectiveness in inhibiting the growth of some pathogenic microorganisms, but this effectiveness depends on several factors including the type of extraction solvents used to extract the active substances from turmeric and the method of extraction. This study investigates the antimicrobial effect of different turmeric extracts with the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method. Methods: Every 40 grams of the dried turmeric rhizomes powder were soaked in 400 ml of each solvent (distilled water, ethanol, and ethyl-acetate) separately for one week. Each mixture was filtered, and the remaining solvent was evaporated. Finally, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for each crud extract was measured using the microdilution broth steps were done alone against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Escherichia coli (ATCC 14169), and Candida albicans (ATCC 10231). Results: The MIC values for the aqueous turmeric extract against the two tested bacteria (S. aureus and E. coli) were 0.39±0.07 g\l and 1.562±0.33 g\l respectively, and it was higher for the tested fungus (C. albicans) was 50±0.05 g\l. However, the ethyl-acetate turmeric extract inhibited only S. aureus (MIC = 0.39±0.04 g\l). Conclusion: This study revealed the antimicrobial effects of the aqueous turmeric extract against three tested microorganisms and the antibacterial effect of the ethyl-acetate turmeric extract against S. aureus, nevertheless, no inhibitory activity for the ethanol turmeric extract against any tested microorganism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]