JORDANIAN MEDICINAL FLORA: A SOURCE OF NOVEL ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance is a global health crisis that threatens to undermine the effectiveness of existing antimicrobial agents. One potential source of new antimicrobial agents is the medicinal plants that are widely used in traditional medicine and pharmacology. The antimicrobial activity of five Jordanian medicinal wild plants was examined against various pathogens. The plants were collected from Al-Mafraq Governorate and they were examined to evaluate antimicrobial activity by using the disk-diffusion method. The candidate plants were fractionated with different organic solvents. The results showed that Salvia dominica and Onopordum acanthium fractions had the most potent antimicrobial properties, especially against E. coli and C. albicans. Fractions from both plants show significant antimicrobial potential and they could be used to develop new antimicrobial agents.