Antibacterial Activities of Widely Spread Taraxacum Officinale Dandelion in Al-Qadmous, Syria as Potential Therapeutic Strategy for Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria

Rim Harfouch, M.^1*, Manal Darwish², Soumya Ghosh³, Ranim Ahmad², Rasha Kherbeik², Nermin Khateb² & Conrad Chibunna Achilonu³

¹Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al Andalus University, Tartous, Syri
²Department of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al Andalus University, Tartous, Syria
³Department of Genetics, Faculty of Natural & Agricultural Sciences, University of the Free State, P.O. BOX 339, Bloemfontein 9300, Free State, Republic of South Africa

Dr. Rim Harfouch, M., Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al Andalus University, Tartous, Syria.

Keywords: Antibacterial Activity; Taraxacum officinale; Ethanolic Extract; Bacterial Stains; Antibiotics; Antibiotic Resistant

Abstract

Medicinal plants perform an important role within the treatment of upper respiratory illness such as sore throat, cold and flu. The study aimed to highlight the biological significance of antimicrobial activities exhibited by the ethanolic extract of Taraxacum officinale (dandelion) leaves and roots against the bacterial strains. The leaves and roots of T. officinale where collected from Qadmous area, Tartous, Syria, and were extracted with ethanol and tested for their antimicrobial activities against the bacterial strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and the pathogenic strain of Streptococcus pneumonia along with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) antibiotics (positive control). The root extracts exhibited the maximum inhibition against S. aureus, P. aeruginosa and E. coli with zone of inhibitions measuring 24mm, 17mm and 12mm respectively, in comparison to the leaves extracts that exhibited antibacterial activities against S. pneumonia (11mm) and P. aeruginosa (14mm). Notably, TMP/SMX antibiotics were observed to have larger antibacterial activities against E. coli (31mm) and S. aureus (30mm). These findings stem the possibility of using the extracts of T. officinale, especially the root extract as a co-factor to antibiotics in order to eliminate multiple antibiotics resistant bacteria, especially P. aeruginosa and S. aureus.

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