Antimicrobial testing of cyanoethyl cellulose membranes incorporated with Schinus molle (L.) leaf extract

Abstract Schinus molle (L.) is a dioecious plant currently widespread in many regions worldwide. The study evaluated the main phenolic and flavonoid constituents of the methanolic leaf extract of Schinus molle and its antioxidant activity using TEAC assay. Cyanoethyl cellulose membranes containing different concentrations of the extract were developed and optimized. The membranes physicochemical properties were characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The antimicrobial activity was studied against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and pathogenic yeast. The membranes containing 5% of the extract exhibited moderate antimicrobial activity against the gram-positive bacteria Micrococcus luteus and Staphylococcus aureus (12 and 13 mm, respectively) using agar well diffusion and excellent activity against the tested strains by shake flask method. The work is an approach to exploit the antimicrobial efficacy of extracts obtained from plant matrices in search of applied products of possible interest as biotechnology, food and/or pharmaceutical industries.