Turkish Journal of Biology

Abstract: The methanol extract of Verbascum georgicum Bentham (Scrophulariaceae) was investigated for its in-vitro antimicrobial properties. A total of 143 microorganisms belonging to 56 bacteria and 4 fungi and a yeast species were studied using the disk-diffusion method and microdilution assays. The results indicated that the methanol extract of V. geopgicum had an inhibitory effect on the growth of all Candida albicans isolates and 17 strains in 10 different species of bacteria, namely Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, B. subtilis, B. cereus, B. pumilus, B. megaterium, B. lentimorbus, B. licheniformis, Pseudomonas putida, P. syringae and Escherichia coli, at different concentrations ranging from 37.5 to 300 µg/ml. However, it did not show antifungal activity against the isolates of the 4 fungal species tested. Thus, the results suggest that V. georgicum extract possesses compounds with antimicrobial properties that might be utilized for developing new drugs.

Key Words: Verbascum georgicum, Antimicrobial activity, Medicinal plant