TITLE:
Antimicrobial Effectiveness on Selected Bacterial Species and Alkaloid and Saponin Content of Rosa nutkana C. Presl (Nootka Rose) and Urtica dioica L. (Stinging Nettle) Extracts
AUTHORS:
Fidji Gendron, Suzanne Nilson, Vincent Ziffle, Stella Johnny, Delores Louie, Peter Diamente
KEYWORDS:
Alkaloids, Saponins, Antimicrobial, Indigenous Knowledge, Nootka Rose (Rosa nutkana C. Presl), Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica L.), Traditional Medicine in Northern America
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.12 No.5,
May
26,
2021
ABSTRACT: Nootka rose (Rosa
nutkana C. Presl) and stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.) have been traditionally used in the treatment of
skin infection by Indigenous peoples of Vancouver Island, British Columbia,
Canada. The main objective of this study was to examine the antibacterial
efficacy of extracts of Nootka rose and
stinging nettle against the common pathogenic skin bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus
luteus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa using Indigenous science and
standard methods of analysis. The Indigenous science method of plant extraction
by steeping as advised by the Traditional Knowledge keeper was performed to examine minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values and minimum
bactericidal concentrations (MBC) by serial dilution and
bacterial population counts. Soxhlet extractions and Kirby Bauer disc sensitivity
testing showed that Nootka rose extracts
possessed antibacterial effectiveness against all three bacterial species while
stinging nettle extracts were effective against M. luteus. Results for MIC and MBC
indicated antibacterial activity against M.
luteus and S. aureus for the Nootka rose when using full-strength solutions; all
three bacterial species exhibited growth when undiluted stinging nettle
treatments were used. When considering bacterial population counts for S. aureus, results indicated that
only the Nootka rose treatment offered effective inhibition. Chemical analysis
showed that alkaloid percentage was greater in the stinging nettle (0.17%) than Nootka rose (0.07%), while saponin
percentage was greater in the Nootka rose (0.87%) than stinging nettle (0.17%). Overall, Nootka
rose showed a greater level of antibacterial effectiveness than stinging nettle by Indigenous and Western scientific
methods of plant extract preparation.