Antimicrobial potential of leaf extract of Chromolaena Odorata

Since ancient times, medicinal plants have been used widely by people to cure numerous diseases and infections. Biological active compounds such as alkaloids and flavonoids found in these plants are believed to possess antimicrobial properties. Hence, this study was aimed to investigate the antimicrobial potential of leaf extract of Chromolaena odorata isolated from the sequencially solvent extraction which were hexane, chloroform, acetone, ethyl acetate and methanol. The powdered leaves sample of C. odorata was successively extracted with different organic solvents according to the increasing polarity to produce crude extracts. These extracts were then screened for antimicrobial activity against selected Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, viz, Stapylococcus aureus, Methilin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pheumoniae as well as Yersinia Enterocolitica. The results indicated that the methanol leaf extract of C. odorata had the highest percentage of extraction yield compared to others solvent. Besides, the antimicrobial activities from different extracts indicated that they were easier to inhibit Gram-positive bacteria compared to Gram-negative bacteria due to the different composition of bacterial cell wall. In conclusion, the identification of bioactive compounds responsible for antimicrobial activity of leaf extract of C. odorata can lead to the development of novel antimicrobial agents as medicinal plants have been acknowledged to harbour diverse bioactive compounds. This study will contribute to the development of natural antimicrobial agent that can replace the existing of antibiotic where the bacteria have become resistance to them.