Aktivitas Antimikroba Ekstrak Daun Karamunting (Melastoma malabathricum L.) Terhadap Bakteri Penyebab Diare

Abstract

Diarrhea is still a major health problem in Indonesia. Giving antibiotics is one of the efforts of the management of diarrhea, but later constrained problem of resistance to antibiotics. Based on this, the quest for new sources of natural based antimicrobial drugs is necessary. This study was conducted to examine the potential of karamunting leaves extract (Melastoma malabathricum L.) that is traditionally used as a cure for diarrhea in the Dayak tribe. The antimicrobial activity of plant extracts was tested against five standard bacteria; Escherichia coli ATCC 35128, Shigella sonnei ATCC 25931, Campylobacter jejuni ATCC 33291, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 15442, and Enterobacter cloacae ATCC 13047. Measurement of antimicrobial activity performed by disc diffusion method (Kirby-Bauer) and measuring the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The results showed M. malabathricum leaves extract can inhibit the growth of all the bacteria tested, with a diameter of 10-15 mm inhibition zones and MIC of 2.3 to 8 mg/ml. It is concluded that M. malabathricum leaves extract has potential as an antidiarrheal based on their antimicrobial activity.