Abstract:

Present study assayed the antimycobacterial activity of 29 plants used in Chinese traditional medicine to treat tuberculosis and other respiratory diseases. Extracts of the roots of plants of the Geraniaceae family have been used for many years in South Africa as native herbal remedies and there is circumstantial evidence for efficacy in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis. Some plants that grow in China are used in the treatment of respiratory diseases, reportedly have antibacterial activity. Ethanol and aqueous extracts of 29 Chinese medicinal plants used to treat tuberculosis and other respiratory diseases were screened for activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) H37Rv using microplate Alamar blue assay test. Among them, ethanol extracts from Lonicera japonica showed the greatest antimicrobial activity against M. tuberculosis strains tested, the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) were 50-100 μg/mL; ethanol extracts from Cirsiu japonicum and Cirsium Setosum showed the better antimicrobial activity against M. tuberculosis strains with the MIC value of 100-200 μg/mL; the ethanol extract from Ottelia alismoides was active with a MIC value of ≥200 μg/mL. No aqueous extracts showed antimicrobial activity.