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Abstract

The Apiaceae family of plants contains over 3,500 species, many of which are used as food crops: vegetables (carrot, parsnip, celery, etc.), herbs (cilantro, fennel, dill, etc.), and spices (cumin, anise, caraway, etc.). Many spices have been shown to exhibit antimicrobial properties against both bacteria and fungi. We set out to determine if the Apiaceae spice extracts currently used in our lab for anticancer studies exhibit any antimicrobial properties. Ethanolic extracts were made from several Apiaceae seeds: Apium graveolens (celery), Cuminum cyminum (cumin), Anethum graveolens(dill), Foeniculum vulgare (fennel), Coriandrum satvium (coriander), Pimpinella ansium (anise), Trachyspermum ammi (ajwain), Carum carvi (caraway).The antimicrobial effects of the extracts were assayed with the Kirby-Bauer (KB) Assay against several microbial species; four bacterial species (E. coli, S. aureus, S. pyogenes, S. enterica) and three fungal species (U. maydis, S. cerevisiae, and M. lyocens-diociae). KB assays for bacteria were performed on LB plates with ampicillin positive controls and ethanol solvent controls, while fungal KB assays were performed on YPD plates with zeocin positive controls and ethanol solvent controls. KB diffusion disks were placed on inoculated plates and impregnated with the extracts and controls. The zones of inhibition for each extract and control were measured and compared. The antibacterial KB assays revealed minimal effects when compared to the ethanol control in all bacterial species tested. The antifungal KB assays indicated that some of the spice extracts exhibit antifungal properties. The celery and ajwain extracts had broad antifungal effects against all three fungal species, while the anise and cumin were only able to inhibit U. maydis, showing minimal effects against the other two fungal species.

Publication Date

2021

Keywords

Anti-microbial, Anti-fungal, Apiaecae, Kirby-bauer, Inhibition, Fungi, Apium graveolens

Disciplines

Alternative and Complementary Medicine | Biochemistry | Food Chemistry | Organic Chemicals | Other Microbiology

The Inhibition of Growth of S. cerevisiae, U. maydis, and M. lychinidis-dioicae by Apiaecea Plant Extracts

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