International Journal of Food Properties

ISSN: 1094-2912 (Print) 1532-2386 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ljfp20

Polarity-Based Solvents Extraction of Opuntia

dillenii and Zingiber officinale for In Vitro
Antimicrobial Activities

Muhammad Ihtisham Umar , Aqeel Javeed , Muhammad Ashraf , Amjad

Riaz , Muhammad Mahmood Mukhtar , Sheryar Afzal & Rabia Altaf

To cite this article: Muhammad Ihtisham Umar , Aqeel Javeed , Muhammad Ashraf , Amjad
Riaz , Muhammad Mahmood Mukhtar , Sheryar Afzal & Rabia Altaf (2013) Polarity-Based Solvents
Extraction of Opuntia dillenii and Zingiber officinale for In Vitro Antimicrobial Activities, International
Journal of Food Properties, 16:1, 114-124, DOI: 10.1080/10942912.2010.517886

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/10942912.2010.517886

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International Journal of Food Properties, 16:114–124, 2013
Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN: 1094-2912 print / 1532-2386 online
DOI: 10.1080/10942912.2010.517886

POLARITY-BASED SOLVENTS EXTRACTION OF OPUNTIA

DILLENII AND ZINGIBER OFFICINALE FOR IN VITRO
ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITIES

Muhammad Ihtisham Umar1 , Aqeel Javeed1 ,

Muhammad Ashraf1 , Amjad Riaz2 ,
Muhammad Mahmood Mukhtar3 , Sheryar Afzal1 ,
and Rabia Altaf1
1
Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Veterinary and Animal
Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
2
Department of Theriogenology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences,
Lahore, Pakistan
3
Department of Microbiology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences,
Lahore, Pakistan

Extracts from dried stem of Opuntia dillenii and rhizome of Zingiber officinale were
evaluated for antimicrobial activities by extraction in non-polar (petroleum ether and chlo-
roform) and polar solvents (methanol and water). Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus
aureus showed considerable susceptibility to all extracts of Opuntia dillenii and
Zingiber officinale. Ether and chloroform extracts of Opuntia dillenii showed improved
antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli (gram negative) as compared to that of
its methanolic and water extracts. On the other hand, methanolic and water extracts of
Zingiber officinale showed better susceptibility for Escherichia coli. Salmonella typhi (gram
negative) was found to be resistant to all extracts of both Opuntia dillenii and Zingiber
officinale. Our results indicated that both Opuntia dillenii and Zingiber officinale have
potent antimicrobial activity that is also based on solvent polarity during extraction.

Keywords: Cactus, Ginger, Extract, Antimicrobial, Non-polar solvents, Polar solvents.

INTRODUCTION
The recent emergence of resistance in bacterial pathogens, both nosocomially and
in the community against the most commonly used antibiotics, is one of the very serious
problems that medical science is facing today.[1] Rapid emergence of resistance against
clinically important antimicrobials, including macrolides,[2] fluoroquinolones,[3] and β-
lactam antibiotics,[4–6] have been repeatedly reported over the past decades. This, on one
side, mandates a more responsible approach to antibiotic use, but on the other side, it boosts
up the urge to discover new antibiotics to solve the problems of antibiotic resistance.

Received 25 June 2010; accepted 18 August 2010.

Muhammad Ihtisham Umar and Aqeel Javeed contributed equally to this work.
Address correspondence to Aqeel Javeed, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University
of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Abdul Qadar Jilani Road, Lahore 54600, Pakistan. E-mail: aqeelvet@
hotmail.com

114
 ANTIMICROBIAL EFFECTS OF OPUNTIA AND ZINGIBER 115

Food has been a tremendous source of drug discovery for centuries. Up until now,
a lot of work has been published regarding the chemical characterization and proper-
ties of different food items.[7−10] The most important of all foods that have been used
as natural remedies to cure ailments since pre-historic times are the spices and herbs.
It is estimated that about 80% of the world population relies on botanical prepara-
tions as medicines to treat their health problems. Scientific experiments since the late
19th century have documented the antimicrobial properties of some spices, herbs, and
their components.[11,12] Numerous studies have been published on the antimicrobial
activities of plant extracts.[2,13,14] However, the results for these different studies are
difficult to compare directly, usually because of the low number of plant samples
tested, different test methods and diverse bacterial strains and sources of antimicrobial
samples used.[15] In the present study, we focused the antimicrobial effect of polar
and non-polar extracts of two medicinal plants, i.e., Opuntia dillenii and Zingiber
officinale.
Anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic activity of Opuntia dillenii
(chhitarthohar) has already been explained elsewhere.[16–18] The oral administration of
Opuntia dillenii phylloclade extract to male rats caused a significant decrease in the
weights of testes, epididymides, seminal vesicle, and ventral prostate, and the production
of spermatid was also reduced by 88.06% in Opuntia-treated rats.[19] The crude extract
prepared from fruits of Opuntia dillenii is effective against gastrointestinal and liver distur-
bances (diabetes, hepatitis, intestinal spasm, etc.). It is also an effective remedy for cough,
bronchial troubles, and asthma.[16] It is worthwhile to confirm whether polar and non-polar
extracts of Opuntia dillenii has the antimicrobial activities.
Zingiber officinale (ginger) is one of the oldest herbs and it is one of the earliest
spices to be known in the east. Ginger consists of thick scaly rhizomes of the plant Zingiber
officinale, belonging to the family Zingiberaceae. The plant is cultivated in warm tropi-
cal climates, particularly southeastern Asia. It is now extensively cultivated in Pakistan,
India, China, Africa, Mexico, and Hawaii. There are numerous studies on the composition
and activities of Zingiber officinale. The extracts of ginger rhizome are reported to have
cytotoxic effect,[20] anti-emetic,[21] anti-inflammatory activity,[22–25] and antimicrobial
properties of ginger essential oil.[26–28] However, polar and non-polar solvent extrac-
tions of Zingiber officinale are not studied so vastly with reference to its antimicrobial
activity. Therefore, the present study was designed to evaluate the antibacterial effect
of polar and non-polar extracts of Opuntia dillenii and Zingiber officinale. Four differ-
ent solvents (having different polarity) were used for the extraction purpose in order
to separate constituents according to their polarity. These solvents include petroleum
ether, chloroform, methanol, and water. The aim of this study was to determine the
antimicrobial activity of the Opuntia dillenii and Zingiber officinale extracts against
Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella typhi and to
compare the relative antimicrobial activity of polar and non-polar extracts of these two
plants.

MATERIALS
Collection of Plant Material
Opuntia dillenii and Zingiber officinale were obtained from the Botanical Gardens
of Government College University, Lahore, Pakistan.
116 UMAR ET AL.

Microorganisms
Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli were isolated from
food and Salmonella typhi was isolated from the fecal samples of a typhoid patient obtained
from the laboratory of Mayo Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan by using a method directed by
Surinder et al.[29] All four bacteria were later identified up to species level by using
biochemical tests[29] and the Api 20E system (bio-Merieux).[30]

METHODS
Preparation of Plant Extracts
Fresh plant samples were cleaned, dried in vacuum desiccators, ground into a fine
powder, and passed through a sieve (24-mesh). Dried plant samples were further dried
in vacuum desiccators (Millipore, Sydney, Australia) and passed through the above men-
tioned sieve. Powdered samples (20 g) were extracted with 500 ml of methanol (99.9%),
distilled water, chloroform (37%), and petroleum ether (40–60%) separately at room tem-
perature (25◦ C) for 24 h in a shaking water bath. The extracts were filtered by Minisart
(Sartorius, Hannover, Germany) 0.2 μm syringe filters in safety cabinets. The filtrates were
concentrated by vacuum desiccators and stored at 4◦ C temperature until use.

Inoculation of Media
Bacterial “Master Suspensions” were prepared in phosphate buffered saline (PBS)
and colony forming units (CFU) per milliliter of these suspensions was calculated by using
a viable count method. Nutrient agar was weighed and mixed with distilled water in a
concentration of 2.8 g per 100 ml (as advised by the manufacturer) in an autoclavable
conical flask. The media was autoclaved at 15 pound pressure and 121◦ C temperature for
15 to 20 min. After the media was cooled (but still molten), bacterial suspension from
“Master Suspension” was taken (and mixed with the media) in such a quantity that each
milliliter of the media contained 106 CFU.

Antimicrobial Activity Assay

An agar–well diffusion method was employed for determination of antibacterial
activities.[31–33] The dried extracts of Opuntia dillenii and Zingiber officinale were
weighed and dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (1 ml solvent for each 10 mg of dried
sample) and sterilized by Minisart (Sartorius) 0.2 μm syringe filters in a laminar
flow hood. Media was prepared and 20 ml of media was poured into each Petri
dish. Wells of 1 cm diameter were cut in Petri dishes and in one well, plant extract
200 μl (containing 2000 μg) and in second well, plant extract 400 μl (contain-
ing 4000 μg) were taken. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was used as negative con-
trol and Penicillin G (640 μg/well) and Gentamicin (400 μg/well) were used as
positive reference standards to determine the sensitivity of each microbial species
tested.[31] The inoculated plates were incubated at 37◦ C for 24 h. Antimicrobial
activity was evaluated by measuring the diameter of inhibition zone (DIZ) of the
tested bacteria. DIZ was expressed in millimeters. All tests were performed in five
replicates.[31]
 ANTIMICROBIAL EFFECTS OF OPUNTIA AND ZINGIBER 117

Statistical Analysis
Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) version 11.5
was used for statistical analysis. Differences between means were tested by Fisher’s
Protected LSD and a value of P < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Data
are presented as mean ± SEM.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Zingiberacea (ginger family) is a family of perennial herbs that is famous for many
of its species, for instance, Zingiber cassumunar, Zingiber nimmonii, Zingiber mioga,
Aframomum danielli, Curcuma longa, and Zingiber officinale that have known medici-
nal importance.[34–36] Zingiber officinale is well reported for its anti-inflammatory,[37,38]
anti-allergic,[39] hypoglycemic, analgesic, antipyretic,[38] and antirhinoviral properties.[40]
Antimicrobial effect of both the essential oils isolated from Zingiber officinale[26] and the
ginger paste exhibits considerable antimicrobial activity against a range of gram positive
and gram negative bacteria.[41] There is, however, no appreciable data available regarding
the inter-comparison of antimicrobial activity of non-polar and polar extracts of Zingiber
officinale. Opuntia dillenii is one of the famous species of the Cactaceae family that has
been used for centuries in traditional medicine. This plant is well reported for its anal-
gesic, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic properties.[16–18] However, there is no significant
data available regarding the anti-microbial activity of Opuntia dillenii. Therefore, in vitro
antimicrobial activity of Opuntia dillenii and Zingiber officinale was evaluated against
Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella typhi. Different
solvents based on polarity (petroleum ether, chloroform, methanol, and water) were found
to be valuable for antimicrobial activity extraction.

Effect of Solvents Used on Antimicrobial Activity

A plant extract in a single solvent contains a large number of constituents with dif-
ferent properties. Extraction of an herb by using different solvents with different polarity
is an effective tool used by many workers to separate hundreds of herbal constituents on
their polarity basis.[42] In the present study, the two plants were extracted in petroleum
ether, chloroform, methanol, and water. The antimicrobial activity against Bacillus sub-
tilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella typhi as shown by inhibition
zones in a well diffusion study is presented in Figs. 1 and 2. Petroleum ether and chloro-
form, the non-polar solvent extracts, prove better (P < 0.05) than methanol and water,
the polar solvent extracts against Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus (Fig. 1). For
Escherichia coli, non-polar solvents extraction for Opuntia dillenii gave better inhibition
zones similar to that against Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus. But Zingiber
officinale extraction by methanol or water (polar solvents) gave optimal inhibition zones
(Fig. 2). In the case of Salmonella typhi, neither extraction of Opuntia dillenii nor Zingiber
officinale gave a proper in vitro inhibition zone (Tables 1 and 2).
The activities of Opuntia and Zingiber are mostly dose dependent.[16,34] The in
vitro antimicrobial effect of solvent extraction versus dose dependency was evaluated by
altering per well extract concentrations. Zones of inhibition against Bacillus subtilis and
Staphylococcus aureus by petroleum ether or chloroform at 2 mg per well concentration
prove better than even double concentration (4 mg per well) extracted by methanol or
118 UMAR ET AL.

Figure 1 Mean diameter of inhibition zone (n = 5) for gram positive bacteria by different extraction sources at
concentration of 4 mg/well.

Figure 2 Mean diameter of inhibition zone (n = 5) for gram negative bacteria (Escheria coli) by different
extraction sources at concentration of 4 mg/well.

water. Zingiber officinale gave reasonable antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli
and an opposite trend was observed. For Escherichia coli, the extraction by methanol or
water at a concentration of 2 mg/well gave a similar inhibition zone to the extractions by
petroleum ether at a concentration of 4 mg per well (Table 2).

Antimicrobial Effect of Opuntia dillenii

Against Bacillus subtilis, the chloroform extraction of Opuntia dillenii gave a
maximum inhibitory zone (13.56 ± 1.14). Petroleum ether extraction gave the best
antimicrobial performance of Opuntia dillenii for Staphylococcus and its 4 mg per well
concentration was found to be close to Penicilline (P > 0.05). For Escherichia coli
and Salmonella typhi, none of the Opuntia dillenii extraction gave a considerably good
 Table 1 In vitro antimicrobial activity of Opuntia dillenii extracted in different solvents.

Non-polar solvents Polar solvents

Petroleum ether Chloroform Methanol Water
Penicillin Gentamicine
Microorganisms 2 mg 4 mg 2 mg 4 mg 2 mg 4 mg 2 mg 4 mg 0.64 mg 0.4 mg DMSO

Bacillus 4.35 ± 0.31ac 10.47 ± 0.85b 6.21 ± 0.74c 13.56 ± 1.14d 0.94 ± 0.45ef 2.70 ± 0.49af 0.36 ± 0.16e 0.70 ± 0.16e 22.10 ± 1.05g 16.24 ± 1.03h 0.04 ± 0.04e
subtilis

119
Staphylococcus 4.36 ± 0.41a 9.40 ± 0.48b 2.38 ± 0.49cefg 4.90 ± 0.42ad 1.98 ± 0.35eg 3.72 ± 0.37afd 1.44 ± 0.24gh 2.86 ± 0.33cef 10.74 ± 0.94b 15.84 ± 0.65i 0.03 ± 0.01h
aureus
Escherichia 2.12 ± 0.23a 4.48 ± 0.27b 0.78 ± 0.12ce 3.10 ± 0.23d 0.14 ± 0.05cf 1.04 ± 0.15e 0.02 ± 0.02f 0.08 ± 0.49cf 0.14 ± 0.75cf 17.82 ± 0.73g 0.00 ± 0.00f
coli
Salmonella 0.06 ± 0.02a 0.08 ± 0.06a 0.04 ± 0.04a 0.02 ± 0.02a 0.08 ± 0.05a 0.02 ± 0.02a 0.02 ± 0.02a 0.04 ± 0.02a 0.06 ± 0.04a 11.00 ± 0.70b 0.04 ± 0.04a
typhi

Values represent the inhibition zone diameter (millimeter), data are Mean ± SEM (n = 5).
Superior letters denote differences within rows (P < 0.05). DMSO was used to dissolve the dried extracts.
 Table 2 In vitro antimicrobial activity of Zingiber officinale extracted in different solvents.

Non-polar solvents Polar solvents

Petroleum ether Chloroform Methanol Water
Microorganisms 2 mg 4 mg 2 mg 4 mg 2 mg 4 mg 2 mg 4 mg Penicillin Gentamicine DMSO

Bacillus 8.56 ± 0.73a 14.56 ± 0.75b 4.86 ± 0.57ce 8.14 ± 0.79a 3.44 ± 0.45cd 5.70 ± 0.13e 2.30 ± 0.19df 3.80 ± 0.34cf 22.10 ± 1.05g 16.24 ± 1.03b 0.04 ± 0.04h
subtilis
Staphylococcus 4.14 ± 0.30ad 8.84 ± 0.42b 3.02 ± 0.21ad 5.98 ± 0.51c 2.86 ± 0.29d 5.74 ± 0.37c 3.42 ± 0.30ad 4.30 ± 0.28a 10.74 ± 0.94e 15.84 ± 0.65f 0.03 ± 0.01g

120
aureus
Escherichia 0.94 ± 0.32a 4.42 ± 0.49b 0.52 ± 0.15a 0.76 ± 0.10a 4.22 ± 0.21b 9.42 ± 0.66c 4.84 ± 0.30b 9.20 ± 0.14c 0.14 ± 0.17a 17.8 ± 0.73d 0.00 ± 0.00a
coli
Salmonella 0.02 ± 0.02a 0.60 ± 0.04ab 0.06 ± 0.04a 0.42 ± 0.40abc 0.00 ± 0.00a 0.80 ± 0.25b 0.00 ± 0.00a 0.06 ± 0.02a 0.06 ± 0.04a 11.00 ± 0.70d 0.04 ± 0.04ac
typhi

Values represent the inhibition zone diameter (millimeter), data are Mean ± SEM (n = 5).
Superior letters denote differences within rows (P < 0.05). DMSO was used to dissolve the dried extracts.
 ANTIMICROBIAL EFFECTS OF OPUNTIA AND ZINGIBER 121

antimicrobial effect (Table 1). The present study demonstrated that the antimicrobial
activity of non-polar extracts of Opuntia dillenii was considerable against Bacillus subtilis
and Staphylococcus aureus. The diameters of inhibitory zones (DIZ) against Bacillus
subtilis were 10.47 and 13.57 mm, respectively, with petroleum ether and chloroform
extracts. DIZ against Staphylococcus aureus were 9.40 and 4.90 mm, respectively, for
petroleum ether and chloroform extracts. Methanolic and water extracts, however, showed
weak activity against Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus. Activity against
Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi was poor with slight activity of non-polar extracts
against Escherichia coli (4.48 and 3.18 mm for petroleum ether and chloroform extracts,
respectively) and almost zero activity against Salmonella typhi. Non-polar solvents
(petroleum ether and chloroform) showed comparatively more antibacterial activity than
the polar solvents (methanol and water).
As demonstrated by Jiang et al.[43] that the stem of Opuntia dillenii contains C29 -5β-
sterols, opuntisterol [(24R)-24-ethyl-5β-cholest-9-ene-6β,12α-diol] and opuntisteroside
[(24R)-24-ethyl-6β-[(β-d-glucopyranosyl)oxy]-5β-cholest-9-ene-12α-ol], as well as nine
known compounds, β-sitosterol, taraxerol, friedelin, methyl linoleate, 7-oxositosterol, 6β-
hydroxystigmast-4-ene-3-one, daucosterol, methyl eucomate, and eucomic acid. All of the
above constituents are non-polar and are more soluble in petroleum ether and chloroform
than in methanol and water.[43] Therefore, the antibacterial activity of Opuntia dillenii may
be due to one or more of these constituents.

Antimicrobial Effect of Zingiber officinale

Table 2 shows the antimicrobial pattern by Zingiber officinale. Zingiber gave max-
imum inhibitory zones against Bacillus subtilis and its Petroleum ether extraction prove
best, but even at a concentration of 4 mg per well the mean zone of inhibition was lower
than our positive controls (Penicillin P < 0.05; Gentamicine P > 0.05). For Escherichia
coli, Zingiber officinale extractions by high polar solvents (methanol, water) gave 9 to
11 mm inhibition zones at 4 mg concentration. Zingiber officinale extractions by low polar
solvents (petroleum ether, chloroform) gave small zones of inhibitions. Against Salmonella
typhi mostly zones of inhibitions by Zingiber officinale were similar to our negative control
(DMSO, P > 0.05).
It is evident from the results that antimicrobial activity of Zingiber officinale is
better in non-polar solvents, i.e., petroleum ether (14.56 mm DIZ against Bacillus subtilis
and 8.84 mm DIZ against Staphylococcua aureus) and chloroform (8.14 mm DIZ against
Bacillus subtilis and 5.98 mm DIZ against Staphylococcus aureus) against the two gram
positive bacteria; however, its activity in polar solvents (methanol and water) varies, i.e.,
it has good antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (9.42 mm DIZ with methanol;
9.20 mm DIZ with water extract) but no antibacterial activity against Salmonella typhi
(Table 2). It indicated that the activity of the Zingiber officinale against Bacillus subtilis
and Staphylococcus aureus was mainly due to its non-polar constituents and its activity
against Escherichia coli was mainly due to its polar constituents. Activity of ginger
extracts was better against Bacillus subtilis as compared to that against Staphylococcus
aureus. The extracts of Zingiber officinale contain hundreds of both polar and non-polar
constituents, including Coumaric acid, Farnesene, Gingediol, Shikimic acid, Shogaol,
Terpine, Zingiberene, Zingibenene, Mentha-1-5-dien-7-ol, Mentha-2-8-dien-1-ol,
Mentha-1-5-dien-8-ol, Myrcene, Muurolene, Octa-2-6-diene-1-8-diol, 2-6-dimethyl,
Octa-3-7-diene-1-6-diol, 2-6-dimethyl, Octa-3-7-diene-1-6-diol, 2-6-dimethyl, 8-hydroxy,
122 UMAR ET AL.

and β-D-glucopyranoside.[44] Isolation and investigation of these polar and non-polar con-
stituents, which are responsible for antimicrobial activity of ginger, is to be demonstrated
further.

CONCLUSION
The extracts of both Zingiber officinale (ginger) and Opuntia dillenii (chhitarthohar)
in petroleum ether, chloroform, methanol, and water have antimicrobial properties.
Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus showed considerable susceptibility to all
extracts of Opuntia dillenii and Zingiber officinale. Ether and chloroform extracts of
Opuntia dillenii showed improved antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli as com-
pared to that of its methanolic and water extracts, while methanolic and water extracts of
Zingiber officinale showed better susceptibility for Escherichia coli. Salmonella typhi was
found to be resistant to all extracts of both herbs. This study not only provides a new insight
on how the polarity of the solvent affects the antimicrobial activity of the herbal extracts,
but it also demands further work on the isolation and purification of the constituents of the
above mentioned herbs with special focus on their antimicrobial activity.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors wish to thank Zahir Ud Din Khan (Government College University Lahore) for
his help regarding the collection and identification of plants and also Asif Saeed (University College
of pharmacy, Punjab University Lahore) for his help in developing the method of extraction of plants.
A. Javeed, A. Riaz, and M. M. Mukhtar are supported by HEC Pakistan.

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