Antibacterial properties of Mangifera indica on Staphylococcus aureus

Antibacterial activity of Mangifera indica stem bark extracts was determined using disk diffusion, agar and broth dilution methods. In disk diffusion method, inhibition zone sizes were used to determine the susceptibility of S. aureus to the extracts. The results showed that the stem-bark extracts of M. indica have antimicrobial activity against S. aureus. Methanol extracts showed the highest inhibition zone diameter of 25 mm, followed by ethyl acetate, water and hexane extracts with inhibition zone diameter of 22 mm, 14 mm and 10 mm, respectively. The antibacterial activities of different extracts were found to be concentration dependent, in agar and broth dilution methods. The plant extracts were shown to have a MIC range of 0.62 mg/ml to 4.17 mg/ml, in agar dilution method. Results from the broth dilution method had a MIC range of 0.16 mg/ml to 1.25 mg/ml. The control (ampicillin) was however, more effective than plant extracts since only a concentration of 0.03 mg/ml in agar dilution and 0.001 mg/ml in broth dilution method were effective to inhibit the growth of S. aureus. The extracts were shown to be bacteriostatic at low concentrations. Phytochemical screening of the extracts revealed the presence of phyto-compounds such as alkaloids and tannins which are known to inhibit bacterial growth by different mechanisms from those of synthetic drugs. These phyto-constituents may be responsible for the M. indica antibacterialactivity.Keywords: Staphylococcus aureus, antimicrobial activity, MIC, Phytochemical screening, MBC.