Phytochemical investigation of antimicrobial effects of Moringa oleifera Lam extract propagated through tissue culture

Moringa oleifera Lam. is a tropical tree belonging to the family Moringaceae with 14 species. This study investigated the phytochemical and antimicrobial effects of M. oleifera extract propagated through tissue culture in Iran in the spring of 2016. The extract of plant obtained from tissue culture was extracted by maceration in a solvent, and purified quercetin as a natural compound was extracted through a column and thin layer chromatography, then the molecular structure of flavonoid was identified through Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy and Infrared technique. To estimate the antibacterial activity, the total plant extract was obtained by Methanol, Chloroform, and Ethyl acetate and finally the Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and the Minimal Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) were determined. The antimicrobial effect of this plant against four bacterial strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli was investigated by plate well method in a liquid medium. The maximal inhibitory concentration (20 mm) was obtained from the methanolic extract. Also, the best results of MIC and MBC were obtained from the effect of 40 mg/ml of methanolic extract on the E. coli strain. Therefore, it is concluded that the extract of M. oleifera plant is a rich source of antioxidant compounds such as flavonoids, and also its methanolic extract has significant antimicrobial properties.