Effect of Fenugreek Oil on Escherichia coli that causes Urinary Tract Infection

Introduction: A study was conducted to investigate the antibacterial activity of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) oil against Escherichia coli one of the most important organisms causing urinary tract infections. Fenugreek contains several bioactive compounds that may kill the growth of microbes. Methods: In the current study alcoholic and aqueous extracts of fenugreek have been prepared and tested for the biocontrol of E. coli isolated from clinical samples. The action the activity of the extracts in inhibiting the bacterial growth was determined. Wells were bored on agar plates seeded with overnight culture of bacteria and 5ml of each fenugreek extract (at different concentrations) was pipetted inside the wells. Plates were incubated for 28 h and inhibition zones were measured with the measurement of a ruler. Diameters of inhibitor against bacterial growth were compared with diameters of inhibition caused by standard antibiotics to compute relative antibacterial activity. Results: The oil extract showed an inhibitory effect against G+ve strains and the highest zone of inhibition of 20mm was observed at 200 mg/ml concentration while the least inhibitory zone was found at 100 mg/ml concentration of 8 mm in inhibitory diameter. Preliminary phytochemical analysis found presence of certain active components in extract like flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins and terpenoids which have already been reported to have an antimicrobial activity. The effect was better with the alcoholic extract than with the hot and cold extracts in aqueous solution because relatively better active constituents were solved with the alcohol. Inhibition zone increased with the increased concentration of extract and thus there was a proportional effect of extract concentration of antibacterial activity. Conclusion: The present results show that fenugreek oil does have a remarkable antibacterial effect against E. coli and it can be used as an alternative natural source to treat infections caused by antibiotic-resistant strains. This study underscores the fact that plants-derived sources have a potential for treatment and further study is needed to enhance values for the underlying mechanism of the inhibitory action of fenugreek and its active elements.