Antibacterial Activity of Methanolic Extracts of Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides (Lam.) B. Zepernich and Timler (Rutaceae) Justifying its Use in Traditional Medicine to Fight against Infection

The objective of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of extracts of different parts of Zanthoxylum. zanthoxyloides on a large panel of 36 bacteria. The MICs were determined by successive dilution of the extracts in solid MHA medium. The inhibitory activity of the extracts was measured over a concentration range of 78 to 1250 mg/L. The best activity on a broad spectrum of bacteria was obtained with the root extract; it was active on 20 strains with MIC values ranging from 78 to 625 mg/L. The highest antimicrobial properties (MIC=78 mg/L) were observed against Staphylococcus pettenkoferi T28-2, Dermabacter hominis T47A7, Streptococcus pyogenes 13240 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa T4-1. Fruit, leaf and bark extract showed growth inhibition of two strains: Staphylococcus pettenkoferi T28-2 and Dermabacter hominis T47A7. These results demonstrate the presence of antimicrobial molecules in the roots of Z. zanthoxyloides and corroborate their use in traditional medicine to treat infectious diseases.