Antimicrobial Activity of Myrica javanica (Myricaceae) Extract
Vienntiny Safrilianti Effendi1, Hany Pratiwi1, Yanti Rachmayanti2, Dikhi Firmansyah1 and Lia Dewi Juliawaty1*

1Organic Chemistry Division, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences,
Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jalan Ganesha 10, Bandung, 40132, Indonesia
2Biochemistry Division, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences,
Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jalan Ganesha 10, Bandung, 40132, Indonesia

*Corresponding author, email: liadewi[at]itb.ac.id

Abstract

Myrica is a genus of plants belonging to Myricaceae family. It has been known to be used as a traditional medicinal plant for anti-asthma, skin diseases and stomachache. This genus contains cyclic diarylheptanoids as the main secondary metabolites that exhibit various bioactivities, such as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antibacterial. One of the Myrica species growing in Indonesia is Myrica javanica in which the pharmacological studies are still limited. In this study, we investigated the antibacterial activity of acetone extracts of stem bark and twigs of M. javanica collected from the forest around Tangkuban Parahu Mountain, Lembang, West Java. Results showed that both extracts had significant antibacterial activity against food spoilage microorganisms, i.e., Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. The diameter inhibition zones of stem bark and twigs extracts (2.5 mg) against Staphylococcus aureus were 22 mm and 21 mm, and against Pseudomonas aeruginosa were 24 mm and 19 mm, respectively. This study revealed that the acetone extracts of stem bark and twigs of M. javanica have potential antimicrobial activities.

Keywords: Myrica javanica, stem bark, twigs, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus

Topic: Biokimia Medis