Microbial Growth Inhibitory Activities of Skin and Seed Extracts of Pisum sativum

Abstract

Introduction: The improper use of antibiotics to treat various bacterial infections occurring in humans had caused the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. These lead to an urgent need in developing novel antimicrobial compounds. Objective: The extracts of the skin and seeds of Pisum sativum were screened for antimicrobial activity against two different species of Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) and one species of Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli). Materials and methods: Methanolic crude extracts were prepared at different concentrations. Their antimicrobial activities were screened by disc diffusion assays and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination assays. Results: Antimicrobial inhibitory effects were observed in B. subtilis. However, further investigation is needed to identify the reasons of S. aureus and E. coli being resistant towards both types of phytochemical extracts. Conclusions: Our findings support the hypothesis that the skin and seeds of P. sativum possess antimicrobial properties. Subsequent studies should be driven towards the identification of key phytocompounds, which can be potentially developed into new plant-based antimicrobial agents.