2019, Vol. 7, Issue 3, Part B

author(s)
Mequanente Dagnaw

abstract
Plants are the main and important source of medicinal agents where traditional treatment plays a major role in health care, and is also a common practice serving as the first aid. Flaxseed or linseed (Linum usitatissimum) is one of the important medicinal plant which is cultivated and growing worldwide that has attracted people’s interest for its many benefits it offers in human health. The general objective of this study is to isolate antibacterial compounds from Linum usitatissimum (Telba) and evaluate its antibacterial activity. The dried seeds were grinded using a laboratory grinder. Dried and powdered seeds (500 g) were extracted using a Soxhlet extractor. Four different extracts of flaxseed were extracted using the chemicals ethanol, petroleum ether, chloroform, and distilled water; then each extracts were concentrated using DMSO solution. In our study, antibacterial properties of four different extracts from Linum usitatissimum seeds were screened against three types of Gram-positive and negative bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa using agar-well diffusion method and comparing their antibacterial activities with the standard antibiotics Ampicillin, Chloramphenicol and Cephalexin. Ethanol extract possessed considerable antibacterial activities compared to the other three extracts, the highest inhibitory effect was observed against Klebsiella pneumonia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa using the extract concentration100mg/ml. The current result indicates that Linum usitatissimum has antibiotic potential for the treatment of pathogenic bacteria. However, our results have not shown positive results for petroleum ether, distilled water, and chloroform solvent extracts of Linum usitatissimum.