• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.336-340
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• 2011

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible utilization of Zanthoxylum schinifolium as a source of antimicrobial agents. The antimicrobial effects of Zanthoxylum schinifolium extracts were investigated against Acinetobacter baumannii, which is a multi-drug resistant pathogen, and 5 other pathogenic microorganisms. The hexane extract of Zanthoxylum schinifolium was more effective than the ethyl acetate, n-butanol and methanol extracts which were active against Acinetobacter baumannii 25, with minimum inhibitory concentrations(MIC) ranging from 0.8 mg/ml to 1.6 mg/ml. Tetracycline had no effect on Acinetobacter baumanniii. The hexane extract was highly active against Candida albicans IFO 6258, with an MIC of 1.5 mg/ml. In contrast, the ethyl acetate, n-butanol and methanol extracts showed no activity against the 5 pathogenic microorganisms. Furthermore, a combination of hexane extract and ethyl acetate extract was significantly more active against the 5 Acinetobacter baumannii strains than n-butanol and methanol. These results suggest that Zanthoxylum schinifolium extracts have great potential as antimicrobial compounds against multi-drug resistant pathogens, and further studies are warranted.