Antimicrobial activity of Thai medicinal preparation of Khampramong Temple used for cancer treatment and its plant components.

BACKGROUND

Thai medicinal preparation of Khampramong Temple has been used for cancer treatment more than ten years ago. It is composed of eleven herbs. Many anticancer drugs exhibited antimicrobial activity as antitumor antibiotics such as the anthracycline group [daunorubicin] and quinone group [mitomycin C].

OBJECTIVE

To determine antimicrobial activity of Thai medicinal plants used to treat cancer patients of Khampramong Temple by disc diffusion and agar dilution methods.

METHODS

The extraction procedure was maceration method using 95% ethanol and drying by evaporator In the preliminary study, all extracts were evaluated for antimicrobial activity by disc diffusion method against two strains of Gram positive bacteria (Staphylococus aureus and Bacillus subtilis), one Gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli) and one fungus (Candida albicans). The active plant extracts were diluted to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) by agar dilution method.

RESULTS

The preparation showed antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, B. subtilis and E. coli (MIC = 1.25, 0.625 and 5 mg/ml, respectively) but no inhibition against Candida albicans. Most extracts showed activity against B. subtilis and Rhinacanthus nasutus extract showed the highest antimicrobial activity (MIC = 0.156 mg/ml). Hydnophytum formicarum Jack, Tectona grandis L.f and Salacia chinensis L. exhibited good antibacterial activity against S. aureus (MIC = 1.25, 0.15625 and 0.3125 mg/ml respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

These results supported the use of this preparation on chronic wound infection of cancer patients and the antimicrobial compounds of the preparation should be further studied to be used in cancer patients.