Antibacterial activity of the latex of Argemone ochroleuca Sweet.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the antibacterial effect of the crude latex of Argemone ochroleuca (A. ochroleuca) as antibacterial potential against a range of human pathogenic bacteria. METHODS This study was carried out at King Khalid University, Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from January to March 2010. Seventeen ml of fresh latex from A. ochroleuca Sweet was collected, and the antibacterial activity of crude and diluted latex were examined using one ml of standardized inoculum suspension, and using the agar diffusion method test against Bacillus subtilis, Enterobacter aerogenes, Micrococcus luteus, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. All inoculated plates were incubated aerobically at 290C for 48 hours. The diameter of the zones of inhibition was measured to the nearest mm. RESULTS The crude latex of A. ochroleuca exhibited a potent antibacterial effect on all bacterial strains examined. The zones of inhibition against the tested bacteria were found in the range of 9.30 - 40.3 mm along with their respective minimum inhibitory concentration values 100 ul/ml. CONCLUSION The observable inhibition on selected bacteria by latex of A. ochroleuca makes it a promising alternative as a potential source of natural antibacterial.