• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.8
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• pp.936-942
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• 2016

As the incidence of environmental diseases is increasing due to harmful environmental factors, there is a rising interest in developing eco-friendly materials for housing. In this study, we sought to develop antimicrobial interior fabric blind materials by employing ethanol extract of a medicinal plant Zanthoxylum piperitum DC. As determined by the disc diffusion method, the zones of inhibition of the pericarp ethanol extract at a concentration of 5 mg/disc against Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus mutans were 13.5±1.5 mm, 14.0±0.5 mm and 15.0±0.1 mm, respectively, whereas the leaf ethanol extract (5 mg/disc) against K. pneumoniae, S. aureus, and S. mutans were 12.8± 0.3 mm, 13.5±1.0 mm, and 12.0±0.1 mm, respectively. The IC₅₀ of the leaf ethanol extract against K. pneumoniae, S. aureus and S. mutans were about 0.5 mg/ml, 0.1 mg/ml and 1.0 mg/ml respectively. To examine whether the leaf ethanol extract possessing antibacterial activity of Z. piperitum DC can be applicable to production of antimicrobial fabric blind materials, the fabrics treated with either 1.0% or 2.0% of the leaf ethanol extract were tested for antibacterial activity against K. pneumoniae and S. aureus using International Standard Fabrics Test Method. The results indicate that the fabric treated with the ethanol extract of Z. piperitum DC possesses an excellent antimicrobial activity against both pathogenic bacteria. These results suggest that Z. piperitum DC may be applicable to producing functional fabrics which are effective in reducing the harmful bacterial factors in indoor environments.