EVALUATION OF QUALITATIVE PHYTOCHEMICAL AND ANTIMICROBIAL PROPERTIES OF THE ESSENTIAL OIL OF Cymbopogon citratus LINN

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance has become a significant public health problem; thus, it is highly essential that new antibiotics continue to be developed. Recently, studies have been carried out to ascertain the antimicrobial benefits of essential oils and how they can be incorporated into the fight against infections and infectious diseases. This research was carried out with the purpose of verifying the effectiveness of the essential oil of lemongrass for the treatment of pathogenic organisms. Lemongrass oil was investigated for activity against two gram positive organisms (Streptococcus pneumonia and Staphylococcus aureus), two gram negative organisms (Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi) and fungi (Candida albicans) using Agar Diffusion Method and Broth Dilution Method. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined by the Broth Dilution Method. Lemongrass was found to be effective against all the test organisms. The results depicted that Lemongrass extracted oil generated different inhibition zones diameters (IZDs) that ranged from 6-19.75mm, which were dose independent. The tested organisms were found to be inhibited by lemongrass oil even at low concentrations. Also, the test organisms were inhibited by Lemon grass oil at lower concentrations in Broth Dilution Method as compared to Agar Diffusion Method. Thus, it is concluded that lemongrass oil would be helpful in the treatment of emerging infections caused by susceptible pathogenic organisms.