Atividade antimicrobiana in vitro de extratos de plantas

Abstract

From their use in folk medicine, the biological properties of essential oils, extracts and teas from aromatic and medicinal plants are closely known. These compounds have been used to control pathogens in humans, animals and plants. Salmonella is a bacterium from the Enterobacteriaceae family that causes food poisoning and in rare cases, can cause serious infections and even death. Transmission occurs through the ingestion of food with fecal contamination, with the bacteria normally found in animals. This work aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of hydroalcoholic extracts of medicinal plants in the in vitro control of Salmonella spp. We used strains of Salmonella spp. isolated from chicken egg samples. To obtain the plant extracts, six species were used (citronella, pomegranate, rosemary, basil, lemongrass and pitanga), with the leaves being the selected raw material, and the extracts obtained by the hydroalcoholic extraction process. The efficiency of the extracts was evaluated in relation to the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration (CMB). The results indicate that all essential oils tested have some degree of antimicrobial activity against Salmonella spp. However, hydroalcoholic extracts of lemongrass and basil showed greater efficacy and less variability, suggesting their potential as natural alternatives for microbial control, with promising properties for controlling infections caused by Salmonella spp. These findings provide a solid basis for the exploration and development of new antimicrobial products from medicinal plants.