Evaluation of the antimicrobial effect of flavonoids obtained from the extracts of leaves of Tamarindus indica Lin

Abstract

In Cuba, the MINSAP promotes the use of medicinal plants and stimulates the research on the subject. These plants include: Tamarindus indica Lin from which there have been  proved the effects of the fruit, attributing some other properties, like the antibacterial effect, what provoked as the main problem, the ignorance of the responsible  metabolites that caused this activity . Therefore an experimental study was performed between January 2009 and May 2011  in the Faculty of Medical Siences in Bayamo in order to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of a   pool from the flavonoid leaves. The extracts faced bacterial strains (S. aureus, E coli, P. aeruginosa) from collection cultures. The measurement of response variables were: Growth and Non growth. The gathering of information was carried out under blind observation. The investigative actions constituted standardized work procedures, equipment and glassware were suitable certificated and reagents had pure quality for the analysis. The leaves were collected between January and May (where is greater the concentration of flavonoids in the leaves). It was standardized and controlled the quality of dried drugs from which the pool of flavonoids was extracted and then chemical and spetroscopic tests were made for the identification. In the botanical identification of the plant there were observed characteristics that agreed with genus and species. The pool of flavonoids obtained, consisting of orientina, isoorientina, vitexin and isovitexina, had never been  reported with these effects before, therefore it inhibited the growth of bacterial strains.