Antimicrobial activity of supercritical fluid extracted Acorus calamus Oil against different microbes

Abstract

Sweet flag rhizome (Acorus calamus L.) which belongs to family Araceae and is a perennial, semi-aquatic plant found in both temperate and sub-temperate zones. Super critical fluid extracted sweet flag rhizome oil has good antimicrobial activity. The rhizome oil showed maximum antimicrobial response against Gram positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus with a diameter of zone of inhibition about 9.2 mm. Whereas the zone of inhibition diameter for Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was observed to be 7.5 mm and 6.9 mm respectively. Maximum activity of sweet flag rhizome oil was also reported against fungal pathogens. Sweet flag rhizome recorded zone of inhibition of 12.5 mm against Mucur species. Whereas zone of inhibition of 11.5 and 10.3 mm against Aspergillus species and Pencillium. The minimum inhibitory concentration of SC-CO, extracted sweet flag rhizome oil found maximum zone of inhibition for Psedomonas aeruginosa (9.3 mm) and for Staphylococcus aureus (8.1 mm) and these were more sensitive at concentration of 100 μl/ml for sweet flag rhizome oil, whereas Escherichia coli was not at all sensitive at the concentrations used.