Effects of Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) Root Extract against Escherichia Coli

Abstract

The study aimed to determine the effect of jackfruit root extract against the bacteria E. coli. Specifically, it aimed (1) to determine the phytochemical components of jackfruit root that have antibacterial properties and (2) to determine the effect of the four different concentrations of jackfruit root extract (100%, 75%, 50%, 25%) and sulfamethoxazole+trimethoprim (Cotrimoxazole) 400 mg/80 mg in controlling the growth of E. coli bacteria. Moreover, this study is designed to determine if there is a significant difference between the different treatment levels in controlling the growth of E. coli. The study was conducted at the Microbiology Laboratory of the CAS, BSU. The experimental research design was used. The effects of jackfruit root extracts were tested at four different concentrations. In the experiment, three E. coli-cultured agar plates were used for each treatment. The agar plates applied with different treatments, 100%, 75%, 50%, 25% jackfruit root extract concentrations and the control treatment, sulfamethoxacole+trimethoprim 400 mg/80 mg. Completely Randomized Design (CRD) and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used for the statistical treatment. Results showed that there are phytochemical components of jackfruit root that have antibacterial effects. These are the alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, and saponins. Furthermore, there is a highly significant difference in the effects of the five treatments being studied. The 50% concentration of jackfruit root extract was the most effective followed by the control treatment.

It was concluded that the jackfruit roots have antimicrobial effect against E. coli. The treatment consisting of 50% jackfruit root extract concentration is more effective than the control, sulfamethoxacole+trimethoprim. With the conclusions derived from the study, the researches recommend for future researchers to conduct further studies using other kinds of bacteria and compare the effects of jackfruit root extracts accordingly; to use other antibiotic drugs; to use other methods of extraction such as methanol extraction, steam distillation, and solvent extraction; to conduct further studies utilizing other parts of the jackfruit such as the seeds, bark, and leaves; and to conduct similar studies to validate the findings.