Evaluation of antimicrobial activities of Satureja hortensis L

• Published in: Journal of ethnopharmacology Vol. 87; no. 1; pp. 61 - 65
• Main Authors: Şahin, F, Karaman, İ, Güllüce, M, Öğütçü, H, Şengül, M, Adıgüzel, A, Öztürk, S, Kotan, R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01.07.2003; Elsevier
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Infective Agents - isolation & purification; Anti-Infective Agents - pharmacology; Antifungal Agents - isolation & purification; Antifungal Agents - pharmacology; Antimicrobial activity; Bacteria - drug effects; Biological and medical sciences; Flowers - chemistry; Fungi - drug effects; General pharmacology; Hexanes; Medical sciences; Medicinal plant; Methanol; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Leaves - chemistry; Plant Stems - chemistry; Satureja - chemistry; Satureja hortensis L; Turkey; Asia; Turkey; Satureja hortensis L; Antimicrobial activity; Medicinal plant; Folk medicine; Labiatae; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Plant origin; Spermatophyta; Extract; Biological activity; Antimicrobial agent
• ISSN: 0378-8741; 1872-7573
• DOI: 10.1016/S0378-8741(03)00110-7

The present study was designated to evaluate the antimicrobial activities of methonol and hexane extracts of Satureja hortensis L. which is an annual herb used as traditional folk medicine in Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey for the treatment of different infectious diseases and disorders. The antimicrobial activities of the extracts against 147 laboratory strains belong to 55 bacterial species, and 31 isolates of 1 yeast and 4 fungi species were tested by using disc diffusion assay. The results showed that hexane extract of Satureja hortensis had no antifungal, but antibacterial activity against four strains of three Bacillus species whereas methanol extract of Satureja hortensis had both anticandidal and antibacterial effects. It inhibited the growth of 23 strains of 11 bacterial species and 6 isolates of Candida albicans, at the concentration of 300 μg/ml. Satureja hortensis did not show antimicrobial activity against the remaining microorganisms (83%) tested including most and all of the clinic and plant pathogenic microorganisms, respectively. Methanol extract showed stronger and broader spectrum of antimicrobial activity as compared to hexane extract.