Investigation Of The Antimicrobial Activity Of Chrysanthemum indicum

Pathogenic infections are one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The discovery of antibiotics aided in the fight against these infectious diseases, however the continual increase in resistance against antibiotics has made the need for new antimicrobial compounds critical. Chrysanthemum indicum is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat skin, throat, and eye infections. Our hypothesis is C. indicum has antimicrobial activity. Extracts were made by grinding dried flowers in water, methanol, or ethanol to a final concentration of 250 g/mL. Antimicrobial activity was tested using disk-diffusion assays against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, and Aspergillus niger. The ethanolic extract inhibited growth of the three bacteria, but did not inhibit the fungus. The ethanol control disk did not inhibit the test organisms. The ethanolic extract decreased a Str. mutans culture by six log cycles. Heating the extract did not decrease its effectiveness; therefore the antibacterial compound is not likely a protein. The minimum inhibitory concentration is being determined. Additionally, the effect of C. indicum extract on bacterial capsule, and therefore dental biofilm, formation is being determined. The results of this experiment may aid in developing a new agent to fight against dental caries caused by Str. mutans.