Abstract

BACKGROUND: The search for safe and effective antimicrobial agents, which treat, therapeutically and prophylactically, a wide variety of bacterial infections still represents a top priority for the biomedical field. This study was undertaken to investigate the antimicrobial properties of herbal extract (acorn) against bacterial pathogens in intestinal tract infections in in vitro and in vivo conditions and to study the effect of herbal extracts against bacteria in comparison with current antibiotics. FINDINGS: Ethanol extraction of acorn herb (Jaft) were evaluated against Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi and Pseudomonas aeroginosa in in vitro and in vivo conditions. Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) was 10 microg/ml, 10 microg/ml, 5 microg/ml, 15 microg/ml and 15 microg/ml for K. pneumoniae, E. coli, S. typhi, S. aureus and P. aeroginosa, respectively. The in vivo results showed that the experimental infection produced by K. pneumoniae, E. coli, S. typhi and P. aeroginosa was totally inhibited in rats treated by the acorn extraction, while positive control rats died after five days. CONCLUSION: The finding revealed that acorn extract has great potential as antimicrobial compounds against pathogenic microorganisms. Thus, acorn extract can be used in the treatment of infectious diseases caused by resistant bacteria.