Potentials of Melastoma malabathricum Linn. Flower and Fruit Extracts as Antimicrobial Infusions

Abstract

Melastoma malabathricum Linn. is a shrub that belongs to the family Melastomataceae and a common herbal plant used in folk medicines to treat inflamed wounds. This study was carried out with the aim to evaluate the inhibitory ac-tivities of different concentrations of the M. malabathricum Linn. flower and fruit crude extracts against a variety of microorganisms. The inhibitory effects of both extracts were tested against the microorganisms using the disc diffusion method. The lowest concentrations of the extracts producing inhibition zones against the test microorganisms were used to determine their Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) and Minimum Microbicidal Concentrations (MMCs). Both crude extracts showed strong inhibitory activities against Gram-positive bacteria. The range of MIC values for the crude flower and fruit extracts on all the bacteria tested were 12.5 to 100.0 mg/ml. Overall, Gram-positive bacteria were more susceptible to the crude extracts compared to Gram-negative species, potentiating a possible use of the extracts to inhibit or kill potential pathogens.