Investigation the Antibacterial Activity of Portulaca oleracea L. Tissue Cultures in vitro

The objective of this research was to studying the antibacterial activity of Portulaca oleracea L. in vitro cultures. P. oleracea leaves were collected from the local markets. Callus tissues were induced from the plant leaves (expalnt) through inoculating the explants on MS medium supplemented with different concentrations of 2, 4-D (0.0, 2.0 or 3.0 mg/l) and Kintin (0.0 or 0.5 mg/l). All cultures were incubated at 25 ± 2°C in dark. Water and ethanol extracts of P. oleracea were prepared. Bacterial samples were collected, they consist of gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Antibacterail activity of P. oleracea extracts were investigated using diffusion method. Results shown that mean % callus induction, callus fresh weight and callus dry weight inceasred significantly in 2.0 mg/l 2, 4-D or 3.0 mg/l 2, 4-D with 0.5 mg/l kin in comparsion to the control (0.0), and the highest mean obtained at 3.0 mg/l 2, 4-D with 0.5 mg/l kin recording 80% and 94 mg and 52 mg for % callus induction, callus fresh weight and callus dry weight respectively. Also there was no significat differences ocurred in the mean inhibition zone diameter (mm) of the bacterial isolates treated with water or ethanol extracts of callus tissues recording 10 and 9.5 mm respectively compard with control (14.5 mm) and mean inhibition zone (mm) significantly decreased in other treatment types in compasion to the control. The results obtained in this research work clearly indicated a promising potential of P. oleracea extracts as antibacterial agent and inspite of the small inhibition zone diameter obtaind using plant extract but it has proved highly efficiency as an anti bacterial compared with the higher concentration of the standard antibiotic used in this experiment.