Antibacterial Activities of Plantain (Musa paradisiaca) Peel and Fruit

Plantain (Musa paradisiacae) is used as a medicinal plant employed in traditional system of healing diverse diseases such as hepatitis, skin infections, problems concerning the digestive organs, respiratory organs, reproduction, the circulation, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, analgesic, antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic, antitumor, anti-nociceptive (reducing the sensitivity to painful stimuli), weakly antibiotic, immune modulation, antiulcerogenic, anti-leukemic and antihypertensive effects, and for reducing fever. The antimicrobial activities of methanol, ethanol and acetone extracts of M. paradisica peel and fruit were tested in-vitro against seven typed Gram negative and positive pathogenic bacteria (Salmonella typhi 22648 ATCC, Salmonella typhi 23456 ATCC, Escherichia coli 35218 ATCC, Shigella dysentrariae 24162 ATCC, Klebsiella pneumonia 34089 ATCC, Staphylococcus aureus 25923 ATCC and Bacillus subtilis 21332 ATCC. The clinical isolates are Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Salnomella typhi. The antibacterial activity was assessed by agar well diffusion method. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values. M. paradisica peel methanol and ethanol extract showed a higher zone of inhibition of test organisms than M. paradisica fruit methanol and ethanol extract which could be due to phytochemical constituents. Phytochemical analysis of the peel and fruit indicated the presence of alkaloid, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, phlobatannins, glycosidea, and terpenoids. M. paradisica acetone extract from both fruit and peel showed no antibacterial activities towards the organisms used.