In Vitro Assessment of the Antibacterial Potential and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration of Moringa oleifera Extract Against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

Objective: The plant Moringa oleifera serves as a popular medicinal herb which people use for its health advantages. The rising problem of antibacterial resistance requires us to find new treatment options. The main objective of the study was to examine how Moringa oleifera performed as an antibacterial agent against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria.

Methodology: An in vitro experimental laboratory study was conducted in the Microbiology department of Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, Pakistan, over a six-month period, from August 2023 to February 2024. The study evaluated the antibacterial activity of Moringa oleifera leaf extract, which was tested at various concentrations between 6.25 mg/ml and 400 mg/ml against MRSA through standardized broth microdilution method and through confirmed results of modified disc diffusion testing. Scientists obtained MRSA strains from blood, wound, pus, sputum, urine, cerebro-spinal and synovial fluids.

Results: The broth microdilution method detected 34.3% (1.5) inhibition at 25 mg/ml and 10.7% (0.3) inhibition at another concentration. The disc diffusion method indicated inhibitory zones of 14 mm, 13 mm, 12 mm, 10 mm, and 9 mm at concentrations of 200 mg/ml, 100 mg/ml, 50 mg/ml, and 25 mg/ml, respectively.

Conclusion: The experimental results show that increasing extract concentrations lead to larger inhibition zones, which establish a direct relationship between extract concentration and inhibition zone measurement. The results showed that there was no effective inhibition when testing at 6.25 mg/ml. The minimum inhibitory concentration determined by both techniques concurred at 12.5 mg/ml.

Keywords: Broth microdilution, Crude extraction, Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion, Maceration, Moringa oleifera.