Antimicrobial Activity of Native Thai Plant Extracts against Methicillin-Resistant
Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
Keerati Joyjamras1,*, Patamaporn Sukplang2, Acharawan Thongmee2,#
1
Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, Rangsit University, Thailand
2
Microbiology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Science,
Rangsit University, Thailand
*e-mail: j_keerati@hotmail.com, #e-mail: acharawan@rsu.ac.th
Abstract
Methicillin-resistant S.aureus (MRSA) is one of S.aureus strains that resists to a
variety of antibiotics, especially penicillin antibiotics. Its resistance to many available
antibiotics makes the treatment of MRSA infection more difficult because very few
antibiotics are effective against MRSA. In order to combat MRSA infections, enormous
efforts are being made to develop new compounds which can be used as potential
antimicrobial agents. An interesting alternatives include the use of natural products.
Therefore, the objectives of this research were to search for a potential antimicrobial agent
from native Thai plant extracts and to study the synergism between these extracts and
antibiotics against MRSA.
Eleven native Thai plants, i.e., Acanthus ebracteatus Vahl., Cissus quadrangularis
Lin, Kaempferia parviflora, Barleria lupulina Lindl, Orthosiphon aristatus (Blume) Miq,
Glycyrrhiza glabra L., Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, Clitoria ternatea Linn., Curcuma longa
L.,Curcuma zedoaria (Berg.) Rosc. and Zingiber cassumunar Roxb were extracted with
water and 95% ethanol. These extracts were determined for antimicrobial activities against
S.aureus by agar diffusion method. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was also
determined using microdilution method.
The results of this study showed that Kaempferia parviflora ethanol extract possessed
antibacterial activity against only MRSA with inhibition zones of 15+3 mm. The MIC and
MBC of Kaempferia parviflora ethanol extract against MRSA was 46.87 g/mL and 96.75
g/mL, respectively. Study of synergism between plant extracts and antibiotics revealed that
when Kaempferia parviflora ethanol extract was combined with cefoxitin, the MIC and MBC
of cefoxitin against MRSA reduced from 23.44 g/mL to 1.46 g/mL and from 93.75 g/mL to
2.93 g/mL, respectively. Moreover, this combination reduced the MIC of Kaempferia
parviflora against MRSA from 46.87 g/mL to 23.44 g/mL. The results indicated that the
combination of Kaempferia parviflora and cefoxitin could be synergistic in antibacterial
effect against MRSA.
Keywords: MRSA, antibacterial activity, synergistic activity, native Thai plant extract
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