Antibacterial Properties of Leaf Extracts of Moringa oleifera Lam. Growing in Sudan

Aim: To evaluate the antibacterial activity of different leaf extracts of Moringa oleifera growing in Sudan.

Methodology: The antibacterial activity of leaf extracts (Water, Butanol, Ethyl acetate and Chloroform) of Moringa oleifera were investigated in vitro using Agar-well diffusion method against eight different Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria.

Results: Ethyl acetate extract recorded the highest active extract against four microorganisms namely, Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 49461 (16.0±0.5 mm), Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 (13.6±0.3 mm), Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 (13.3±0.3 mm) and Bacillus cereus ATCC 10876 (10.2±0.7 mm), respectively. Butanol extract was active only against Staphylococcus epidermidis (14.0±0.0 mm) and Staphylococcus aureus (10.3±0.3 mm). Water extract was active only against Staphylococcus epidermidis (12.3±0.6 mm). Chloroform extract showed antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (11.0±0.5 mm).

Conclusion: On the basis of the current findings, Moringa oleifera leaves could be a good candidate in the search for new antibacterial agents from natural products against different pathogens.