ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF KERSON FRUIT AND LEAVES

(Muntingia Calabura) AGAINST Staphylococcus aureus and

Escherichia coli
DORADO, K. A., PASIA, A., & RAYA, S. C.

kateairiellemariedorado@gmail.com, gaahitsadlin@gmail.com,
stephanieclaireraya@yahoo.com

Laguna State Polytechnic University-San Pablo City Campus

A.Y. 2019-2020

1. Introduction
Muntingia calabura L. or Aratiles is a fruit-bearing tree that can be seen mostly in the
tropical country. This plant can survive in harsh environment and can adapt easily to its
surrounding. It is very abundant in the Philippines. Despite of that, people don’t pay
attention to it, assuming that there will be no healthy components aside from the
common vitamins and minerals that fruits can have. According to Gilbert (2018),
Aratiles grows up to 7.5 to 12 meters high having thick broadly elongated leaves and has
its fruit that is rounded that measures approximately to 1.5 centimetres in diameter, red
when it is ripe that has sweet and juicy taste.
Like the other fruits, Aratiles also have many vitamins and minerals like Vitamin
C and protein. Moreover, According to Kathirvel (2017), Aratiles also contain anti-
inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant that can help in nurturing the skin. For its
antibacterial property, it is proven that it can fight from Staph infections, S. Epidermis,
P. Vulgaris, K. Rhizophil, and other bacteria. Aratiles provides antioxidant that kills the
released oxidation of your body that causes cancer and other diseases; there are 24
flavonoids and phenolic compounds to the Aratiles. These properties can help and boost
the body to avoid and fight bacteria.
According to Bailey (2019), skin is populated by billions and billions of bacteria
and the bacteria have easy access to the skin due to the everyday contact in the
environment, leading to different skin care problems.
There are certain types of bacteria that cause certain skin problems. One of these
is the Staphylococcus aureus. S. aureus is a gram-positive bacterium that is commonly
found on the nose and skin. Most of the time, this type of bacteria do not cause disease.
However, a cut or other damage to skin may allow the bacteria to become resistant to
the natural protective mechanisms of the body, leading to infection.
 A staphylococcal infection is a common bacterial skin infection. Staphylococci
(‘staph’) are a common type of bacteria that live on the skin and mucous membranes (for
example, in the nostrils) of humans. S aureus is capable of causing various infections of
the skin and other organs. S aureus infection is common in people with frequent skin
injury, particularly if the skin is dry. S aureus bacteria are classified as Gram-positive
cocci based on their appearance under a microscope. They may occur singly or grouped
in pairs, short chains or grape-like clusters. They are usually facultative anaerobes, that
is, they are capable of surviving at various levels of oxygenation, and are generally very
hardy organisms (Gomez, 2015).
Escherichia coli strains frequently are isolated from skin and soft tissue
infections (SSTI). Escherichia coli is the most numerous aerobic commensal inhabitant of
the large intestine. Certain strains cause diarrhea, and all can cause infection when they
invade sterile sites (eg, the urinary tract). Diagnosis is by standard culture techniques.
Toxin assays may help identify the cause of diarrhea. Treatment with antibiotics is
guided by susceptibility testing. E. coli is described as a Gram-negative bacterium
because they stain negative using the Gram stain.The Gram stain is a differential
technique that is commonly used for the purposes of classifying bacteria. The staining
technique distinguishes between two main types of bacteria (gram positive and gram
negative) by imparting color on the cells. (Kaiser, 2009)
Aratiles is proven to have antioxidant and antibacterial properties in its fruit and
leaves. It is full of 24 different flavonoids and phelonic compounds that may protect
your cells against the effects of free radicals. The tart cherry-like flavour fruit of Aratiles
has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Our body needs help or boosters to
effectively avoid the bacteria even though it has its own components that fight bacteria
(EV Learners, 2019).
The M. calabura leaves exhibited potential antiproliferative and antioxidant
activities that could be attributed to their high content of phenolic compounds. The
leaves also exerted potent antityrosinase and antioxidant activities. The aqueous leaf
extract at concentrations of10%, 50% and 100% showed significant antinociceptive,
anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activities. The chloroform, methanol and aqueous leaf
extracts exhibited antibacterial activity against normal S. aureus infection and other
bacteria. Other studies reported the isolation of cytotoxic chalconesand flavonoids from
the leaves and cytotoxic flavonoids from the leaves and stems of C. calabura.
Furthermore, the aqueous leaf extract of M. calabura elicited both a transient and
delayed hypotensive effect through the production of NO (Ragasa, Chiong, Tan and
Shen, 2015).
According to Oliver (2015), face serums are substances that act as lightweight
moisturizers to deliver active ingredients to penetrate deeper into your skin. It is
typically thinner than traditional moisturizers. It is usually applied after cleansing but
before moisturizing the skin. It is made up of smaller molecules that can penetrate
deeper into the skin than traditional moisturizers. Its job is to cure various impurities of
the skin such as wrinkles, dark spots, and dryness.
 Zone of Inhibition Test or the Kirby-Bauer Test is a method used to clinically
measure antibiotic, antimicrobial, or antibacterial property of a substance. It is used to
test the substance’s ability to inhibit microbial growth. In this method, a substance will
be spread over an agar plate using a sterile swab to be observed. If the substance has its
antimicrobial property, then a zone of inhibition will be visible in the agar plate, this is
to be measured by the experimenters (Microchem Laboratory, 2016).
Using paper disc diffusion method, the antibacterial activity of Muntingia
calabura L. extract was analyzed. The activity of the extract was observed against
Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus agalactiae at different storage (refrigerator vs
room temperature) and time duration (0,2,4,6,8 days). The study revealed that the
extract stored at refrigerator temperature gives higher diameter zone of inhibition that
room temperature. On S. aureus bacteria, the diameter of inhibition zone at refrigerator
temperature and room temperature with time duration of 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 days were
(22.46 mm vs 21.41 mm); (20.26 mm vs 18.86 mm); (18.44 mm vs 15.42 mm); (16.21 mm
vs 10.46 mm); (13.46 mm vs 6.68 mm) respectivel (Surjowardojo, Thohari, Syahputra and
Ridhowi, 2017).
To investigate the possible antibacterial activity of Muntingia calabura, an in
vitro disc diffusion method was conducted using different extracting agents (aqueous,
methanol, and chloroform) against various bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus
and Escherichia coli. Each extract was concentrated in 10000, 40000, 70000, and 100000
ppm. At all concentrations tested, aqueous and methanol extracts were effective against
S. aureus. Chloroform extract at 40000 ppm and above showed inhibition effect in S.
aureus. On the other hand, the methanol extract was found to produce inhibitory effect
against E. coli at the concentration of 70000 ppm and above. It is concluded that M.
calabura possesses a potential antibacterial property that is comparable to the standard
antibiotics used (Zakaria, Fatimah, Mat Jais, Zaiton, Henie, Sulaiman, Somchit,
Thenamutha and Kasthuri, 2006).
 INPUT
Comparative Testing of
Aratiles leaf (decoction) and
fruit (extraction).
 Kerson fruit
 Kerson leaves
 Staphylococcus aureus
 Escherichia coli
Figure 1: Research paradigm
PROCESS OUTPUT
1. Gathering materials Antibacterial activity of
2. Identification Muntingia calabura against
3. Leaf decoction Staphylococcus aureus and
4. Fruit extraction Escherichia coli.
5. Zone of Inhibition
Test
6. Result
Feedback
 This study aims to observe the antibacterial activity of Muntingia calabura fruit
and leaves extracts against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Furthermore, this
study also aims to investigate and answer the following questions:

1. Which among plant parts has the most antibacterial acitivity:

1.1 Fruit;
1.2 Leaves?

2. Is there any significant difference in the Zone of inhibition of Kerson fruit in

terms of diameter?

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