Determination of antimicrobial and dna protection properties of clammy inula (Inula viscosa) extracts

Nowadays, conventional medicine has become a strong healthcare trend of users all over the world. Thus, clammy inula (Inula viscosa) remains one of the most traditional medicinal usages in the Mediterranean countries of the basin. Actually, this research study has utilized diverse extracts of clammy inula (from aerial parts) which were obtained utilizing three solvents [methanol, ethyl acetate and water (H2O)] and were tested on several bacterial strains (Gram-positive; S. aureus ATCC 25923, S. epidermis, S. alpha haemolyticus, E. faecium, L. monocytogenes ATCC 7644, E. durans, as well as Gram- negative; P. vulgaris, E. coli, S. marcescens, P. aeruginosa, Salmonella kentucky, E. aerogenes ATCC 13048). All the experimental stages have been done in two diverse phases; during the first phase, the antibacterial effect of extracts alone exanimated against bacterial strains via micro dilution approaches. Based on the results, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of methanol extracts varied from 31.25 to 125 µg/ml, although that of the ethyl acetate and H2O extracts varied from 62.5 to 125 µg/ml. Moreover, in the second stage, the protective effect of clammy inula on supercoiled pUC19 plasmid DNA was tested by using Fenton's reagent. All clammy inula extracts had no protection activity on DNA. The outcomes presented that the effect of clammy inula extract on Gram-negative bacteria was more than Gram-positive. This study provides a preliminary report for the biological effects of the Inula viscosa extracts. Key Words: Clammy inula, Asteraceae, plant extracts, biological activity.