Antibacterial activity of Aristolochia paucinervis Pomel

Several fractions of the methanolic extract of the rhizome or the leaves of Aristolochia paucinervis Pomel were screened for antibacterial activity using the agar dilution method against fourteen reference bacterial strains. Only three fractions (defatted chloroformic rhizome fraction: APRC, rhizome ethyl acetate fraction: APRE and leaf chloroform fraction: APLC) showed an activity against at least one of the microorganisms tested. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination showed that APRC was the most active against Clostridium perfringens, Clostridium difficile, Enterococcus faecalis, Micrococcus luteus and Bacillus subtilis. The high bacteriostatic activity of APRC was confirmed by its MIC determination against clinical strains of C. perfringens (n = 32), C, difficile (n = 31), and E. faecalis (n = 22). Results of this study suggest the potential interest of this highly active fraction and support the use of A. paucinervis Pomel in Moroccan traditional medicine to treat skin and soft-tissue infections, especially gas gangrene and intestinal diseases. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.