Evaluation of the Antibacterial Activity of Ethanolic Extracts Obtained from Roots and Stalks of Chelidonium majus L. against Escherichia coli Strains

Nowadays, antibiotic resistance among pathogenic bacteria is increasingly common. The Chelidonium majus L. is one of the most widely used genera in folk medicine, where it is popular for its antibacterial activity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial effects of five ethanolic extracts obtained from stalks and roots of C. majus collected from the rural and urban agglomerations on the territory of the Kartuzy district in the Pomeranian province (northern part of Poland) against Escherichia coli strains. The Escherichia coli (Migula) Castellani and Chalmers (ATCC® 25922™) and Escherichia coli Castellani and Chalmers (ATCC® 25922™) strains were used in the current study. It has been observed that ethanolic extracts derived from stalks and roots of C. majus collected from rural and urban areas revealed weak antibacterial activity (7.95–8.25 mm as the diameters of inhibition zone) compared to the control samples. Our results revealed that the extracts derived from stalks and roots of C. majus have shown weak antibacterial activity against the tested strains. The detailed chemistry of the active compounds and possible mechanism(s) of actions of the bio-molecules responsible for the observed activity was not addressed in the current study. Thus, further evaluation for the nature of active compounds (bio-molecules) and detailed mechanism(s) of their interaction with microbial strains are recommended.