Antibacterial Activity of Extracts from Some Bryophytes

Abstract

The antimicrobial activity of aq. and ethanolic exts. of 11 Bryophyta species and 9 Marchantiophyta species collected in Latvia was tested against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus. The ext. of Lophocolea heterophylla inhibited the growth of B. cereus, but none of the tested exts. inhibited the growth of E. coli. 70% of bryophyte species demonstrated certain activity in relation to S. aureus. In general, 73% of ethanolic exts. and 39% of aq. exts. exhibited antibacterial activity against S. aureus. The highest degree of antibacterial activity against S. aureus was shown by the ethanolic ext. of Dicranum scoparium and aq. exts. of Atrichum undulatum and Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus. The bactericidal action was not ascertained. For the first time antimicrobial activity has been proved for three moss species - Eurhynchium angustirete, Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus and Rhodobryum roseum, and for two liverwort species Frullania dilatata and Lophocolea heterophylla. Qual. and quant. differences of plant exts. were evaluated by FT-IR spectra. [on SciFinder(R)]