ISSN 2348 – 0319 International Journal of Innovative and Applied Research (2016), Volume 4, Issue (1): 10- 14

Journal home page: http://www.journalijiar.com INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL

OF INNOVATIVE AND
APPLIED RESEARCH

RESEARCH ARTICLE
ANTI-BACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF ALOE VERA GEL EXTRACT

M. Anitha, J. Hema priya, D. M. Monisha, G. B. Pavithra

Department Of Microbiology, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College & Research Institute, Thiruporur, Sri Balaji
Vidyapeeth University, Tamil Nadu, India.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Abstract:
Aloe vera is a medicinal plant with anti inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti diabetic and immune-boosting
properties. In the current study, an attempt has been made to evaluate the presence of antibacterial activity in the
Dimethyl sulfoxide extract of Aloe vera gel using four different concentrations((25, 50 100 and 200µg/ml)). Seven
isolates of each of these bacteria were investigated for their sensitivity to Aloe vera gel using the Well diffusion
method. The extract was more effective against Gram negative and Gram positive bacteria. (E. coli, Klebsiella
pneumoniae, Citrobacter koseri, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus,
Streptococcus pyogenes) than the conventional antibiotics used. Hence our recent findings will be recommended that
Aloe vera gel at optimum concentration could be used as an antiseptic for prevention of bacterial infections.

Key Words: Aloe vera gel, Antimicrobial activity and DMSO extract.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Introduction
In recent years, multiple drug resistance in human pathogenic microorganisms have developed due to
indiscriminate usage of commercial antimicrobial drugs for the treatment of infectious diseases. This scenario forced
scientists for searching new antimicrobial products from distinct sources, like medicinal plants, which are the better
sources of novel antimicrobial chemotherapeutic agents.
Infectious diseases are concerned to be pursued in majority of health institutions, pharmaceutical companies and
governments all over the world (accounting for over 50, 000 deaths every day), especially with the current raising
trends of multidrug resistance among emerging and re-emerging bacterial pathogens to the available modern drugs
or antibiotics. The search for newer sources of antibiotics is a global challenge in pre occupying research
institutions, pharmaceutical companies and academia, since many infectious agents are becoming resistant to
synthetic drugs. It is therefore very necessary, that the process of searching newer antibiotic sources. Plants are the
cheapest and safer alternative sources of antimicrobials.(1)
The utilisation of plant product for pharmaceutical purpose has been gradually increased. According to World
Health Organisation, medicinal plants would be the surpass source for procuring variety of drugs (Santos et al.,
1995). (2)
Aloe vera is an ornamental and medicinal plant. The name of Aloe vera was derived from the Arabic ‘Alloeh’
meaning ‘Bitter’ because of bitter liquid found in the leaves. It is also known as ‘Lily Of Desert’. Aloe vera is a stem
less or very short –stemmed succulent plant growing to 60-100 cm tall, spreading by offsets. The leaves are thick
and fleshy, green to grey-greenish, with some varieties showing white flecks on the upper and lower stem surfaces.
It is being used therapeutically, since Roman times and perhaps long before. (3,4)
Aloe vera belongs to the Liliaceae family, of which there are about 360 species. It is a cactus-like plant that grows
readily in hot, dry climates and currently, because of fraining, is cultivated in large quantities. (5) The gel of A. vera
was used to treat stomach ailments, gastrointestinal problems, skin disease, constipation, radiation injury,
inflammatory effect, healing wounds and burns, ulcerations and diabetes. A.vera products are mainly used for
cosmetic,pharmaceutical, nutraceuticals and food industries.(6)
A. barbadensis Miller (A. vera) possessed a number of therapeutic uses viz., anti-inflammatory, immune
stimulatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and cell growth stimulatory activity. The gel stimulates cell growth
and enhances the replenishment of damaged skin. It moisturizes the skin because it has a water holding capacity. As
a drink, it protects the mucosal membrane of the stomach especially when it is getting irritated or damaged. (7)
Aloe vera is a perennial, drought resisting, succulent plant. It has stiff green, lance-shaped leaves containing clear
gel in a central mucilaginous pulp. Its thick leaves contain the water supply for the plant to survive long periods of

10
ISSN 2348 – 0319 International Journal of Innovative and Applied Research (2016), Volume 4, Issue (1): 10- 14

drought . The gel contains 99.3% of water, the remaining 0.7% is made up of solids with carbohydrates which
constitutes of large components Aloe gel is perhaps the most widely recognized herbal remedy in the United State
today; it is used to relieve thermal burn, sunburn and promote wound healing. In addition, research suggests that
Aloe gel can help to stimulate the body’s immune system. The aloe plant contains different nutrient contents
including vitamins, minerals, enzyme, sugars, phenolic compounds, lignin, saponins, sterol and aminoacid. (8)
The aim of the present study was assessing the effects of an A. vera gel to inspect the resistance and susceptibility
patterns of the clinically significant antibiotics against diverse bacterial isolations.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Collection of Plant Material:
Leaves of Aloe vera were collected from the road sides of in and around thiruporur, Tamil Nadu, India.
Extraction: Mature, healthy and fresh leaves of A. vera were washed in the running tap water for 5 min and rinsed
with sterile distilled water, then dissected longitudinally and the colourless parenchymatous tissue (aloe gel) was
scraped out using a sterile knife by eliminating the fibres. The gel was ground with DMSO (9) using the mortar and
pestle. The extracts were filtered using Whatman No. 1 filter paper and the filtrate was centrifuged at 5000 rpm for 5
min.
Experimental Procedure: The supernatant was collected and stored in refrigerator at 4°C. Different concentration
of A. vera gel extract was subjected to antimicrobial studies. Pure bacterial culture was obtained from the central lab
of Shri sathya sai Medical college and Research institute, Thiruporur. Seven bacterial cultures such as E. coli,
Klebsiella pneumoniae, Citrobacter koseri, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and
Streptococcus pyogenes were maintained in nutrient agar medium at room temperature and were sub- cultured into
newly prepared nutrient agar slants, every two-week. Antimicrobial activity was carried out by well diffusion
method against the selected pathogens. The crude DMSO extracts were used for bioassay against bacteria. Sterile
discs with 6 mm diameter were loaded with different concentration of 25, 50, 100, 200 µg/ml of gel DMSO extracts
was loaded into the well of sterile medium with the testing organisms. The plates were incubated at 37º C for 24
hours. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated by measuring the zone of inhibition. All the experiments were repeated
thrice and results were recorded. DMSO was used as negative control. (10)

RESULTS
All the four concentration (25, 50, 100, 200 µg/ml) of DMSO gel extracts of A. vera studied in the present
investigation which exhibited varying degree of inhibitory effect against the selected bacterial pathogens. Aloe vera
gel is widely used as a traditional folk medicine for the treatment of different infectious diseases. In our study, in
vitro antimicrobial properties of Aloe vera gel were investigated against various common pathogenic bacteria. The
well diffusion method showed significant zone of inhibition against all the pathogens tested and the results are
comparable to the conventional antibiotics. The antimicrobial activity of the extracts and their potency was
quantitatively assessed by the presence or absence of inhibition zone and zone diameter. These results support that
the Aloe vera is a potent antimicrobial agent. DMSO gel extracts of A. vera were screened for the antibacterial
activity against the human pathogens and the results are given in the Figure 1 & 2.
The antibacterial activity has been observed in the DMSO gel extracts of A. vera against all the tested bacteria with
varied activity. By antibiotic disc diffusion method, the seven bacterial pathogens such as E. coli, Klebsiellae
pneumoniae, Citrobacter koseri, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus,
Streptococcus pyogenes showed resistant patterns.(Figure 1). Similar to antibacterial activity of the A. vera gel
extracts also varied according to the concentration (25, 50 100 and 200µg/ml), but after the application of DMSO
aloe vera gel extract showed inhibitory effect on the seven pathogens with the maximum zone of inhibition in the
highest concentration (200 µg/mL).(Figure 2)

11
ISSN 2348 – 0319 International Journal of Innovative and Applied Research (2016), Volume 4, Issue (1): 10- 14

Figure 1: Before the application of DMSO aloe vera gel extract – resistant patterns

Figure 2: After the application of DMSO aloe vera gel extract – high senstivity

DISCUSSION
In the present investigation, in vitro antibacterial activity of the four different concentration of DMSO gel extracts of
A. vera was quantitatively evaluated on the basis of zone of inhibition. Highest concentration of DMSO gel extracts
of A. vera showed better zone of inhibition against the selected pathogens. Similarly, D.Lalitha Devi et al (7) showed
highest degree of activity against the selected pathogens using the DMSO gel extracts of A. vera.
The use of plant extracts, with known antimicrobial properties, can be of great significance in the treatment of
various microbial infections. In the last decade, numerous studies have been conducted in different countries to
prove such efficiency in number of medicinal plants. The mechanism of action of the gel extract on the lysis of
bacterial cells may be due to the pore formation in the cell wall and the leakage of cytoplasmic constituents by the
active components such as alkaloids present in the gel extract as revealed by Shelton (1991).(11)
Pawar et al (12) prepared the crude A. vera gel extract by hot extraction with acetone, ethanol and methanol in the
oven at 80˚C for 48 h. In our study, we prepared the A. vera extracts by using Dimethyl sulfoxide as a solvent.
Thiruppathi et al (13)prepared the A. vera gel crude extracts according to the method described by Ahmad et al, with
minor modifications. Ibrahim et al (14) investigated the phyto constituents and antimicrobial activity of aqueous,
ethanol and acetone extracts of the A. vera gel against some human and plant pathogens by disc diffusion method.
Among the three extracts, ethanol and acetone extracts recorded significant antimicrobial activity against all test
pathogens.
Agarry et al (15) compared the antimicrobial activities of ethanolic extracts of A. vera gel and leaf against S. aureus,
P. aeruginosa, Trichophyton mentagraphytes, T. schoeleinii, M. canis and C. albicans. Antimicrobial susceptibility
test implies that both the gel and the leaf inhibited the growth of S. aureus.

12
ISSN 2348 – 0319 International Journal of Innovative and Applied Research (2016), Volume 4, Issue (1): 10- 14

The antimicrobial activity of the Aloe vera juice against Gram-positive bacteria (Mycobacterium smegmatis,
Enterococcus faecalis, Micrococcus luteus and Bacillus sphericus), Gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas
aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, E. coli and Salmonella typhimurium) and Candida albicans were also studied.
The study depicting the antimicrobial activity of Aloe vera juice against M. smegmatis, K. pneumoniae, E. faecalis,
M. luteus, C. albicans and B. sphericus, but no inhibitory effect against the other bacterial strains. The least
inhibitory effect was found against M. luteus, while C. albicans was detected to be the most sensitive strain
(Suleyman Alemdar et al., 2009).(16) Thus in the present study the antibacterial susceptibility test showed the growth
inhibition on E. coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Citrobacter koseri, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes.
Cock et al (17) studied the antimicrobial activity of A. barbadensis leaf gel components. Methanolic extracts of A.
barbadensis inner leaf gel were fractionated by RP-HPLC and the resultant fractions were tested for inhibitory
activity against a panel of bacteria and fungi. Five fractions were identified as having antimicrobial activity. Of
which fraction 1 had the broadest antibacterial activity.
Ferro et al. (18) also found that Streptococcus pyogenes was more sensitive than Shigella flexneri to Aloe vera gel. In
the present study, we found that Aloe vera gel exerted strong bactericidal activity against both Gram positive and
Gram negative bacteria, producing better growth inhibition zones on highest concentration. Although no adverse
effects of Aloe vera have been reported in humans, but in rare cases of reversible hepatotoxicity (19), contact
dermatitis, and mild itching have been documented. The results obtained in the present study revealed withstanding
bactericidal activity of Aloe vera gel against some bacterial infections.

CONCLUSION
The present study has imparted, that the crude extracts of Aloe Vera gel has intended effect of antibacterial activity
against both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. This investigation further assures that the plant extracts
could be used for the treatment of microbial infections. Hence our present findings will be recommended that Aloe
vera gel at optimum concentration could be used as an antiseptic for prevention of some microbial infections. It is
believed that this study could be used to identify new and more potent antimicrobial drugs of natural origin.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
As per Author’s wish, feeling grateful for the endurance and encouragement from the Management to carry out this
research work.

REFERENCES

1.H.N. Krishna Kumar, E. Chandana, S.D. Preethi, Jyoti Bala Chauhan, In Vitro Antimicrobial Activity and
Phytochemical Screening of Aloe Vera Linn. International Journal of Current Pharmaceutical Research,(2012);Vol
4, Issue 3.

2. Santos, P.R.V., Oliveria, A.C.X. and Tomassini, T.C.B. Controls microbiological products fitoterapices. Rev.
Farm Bioquim,(1995); 31: 35-38.

3. Crosswhite, F.S. Crosswhite, C.D. Aloe vera plant symbolism at the threshing floor. Desert plants,(1984); 6: 43-
50.

4. Morton, J.F. Folk uses and commercial exploitation of aloe leaf pulp. Econ. Bot,(1961);15: 311-319.

5. Newall CA, Anderson LA, Phillipson JD. Herbal medicines, A Guide for Healthcare professionals,
Pharmaceutical press, London,(1996).

6. Klein AD, Penneys. Aloe vera. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, (1988);18(1): 714-720.

7.D.Lalitha Devi, B.Srinivas, Bandaru Narasinga Rao. An evaluation Antimicrobial Activity of Aloe barbadensis
Miller (Aloe vera) Gel Extract. Journal Of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, (2012); 21 (03).

8. Thiruppathi. S Ramasubramanian V, et al, Antimicrobial activity of Aloe vera (L.) Burm. f. against pathogenic
microorganisms. J. Biosc i. Res,(2010); Vol. 1(4):251-258.

13
ISSN 2348 – 0319 International Journal of Innovative and Applied Research (2016), Volume 4, Issue (1): 10- 14

9. Pugh N, Ross SA, Elsohly MH, Pasco DS. Characterizations of Aloe vide, a new high molecular weight
polysaccharides from Aloe vera with potent immune stimulatory activity. J Agri Food Chem,( 2001); 49(2): 1030-
1034.

10.Renisheya Joy Jeba Malar T, Johnson M, Nancy Beaulah S, Laju R Anti-Bacterial and Antifungal activity Of
aloe Vera Gel extract, International Journal of Biomedical and Advance Research. IJBAR, (2012);03(03).

11.Shelton, R.M., Aloe vera. Its chemical and therapeutic properties. Int. J. Dermatol, (1991); 30: 679-683.

12.Pawar VC, Bagatharia SB, Thaker VS. Antibacterial activity of Aloe vera leaf gel extracts against
Staphylococcus aureus. Indian J. Microbiol. (2005); 45(3): 227-229.

13.Thiruppathi S, Ramasubramanian V, Sivakumar T, Thirumalai Arasu V. Antimicrobial activity of Aloe vera (L.)
Burm. f. against pathogenic microorganisms. J. Bio sci. Res, (2010); 1(4): 251- 258.

14.Ibrahim M, Srinivas M, Lakshmi Narasu M. Phyto-chemical analysis and antimicrobial evaluation of Aloe vera
gel against some human and plant pathogens. Asian Journal of Current Chemistry,(2011); 1(1): 1-11.

15.Agarry OO, Olaleye MT, Bello-Michael CO. Comparative antimicrobial activities of Aloe vera gel and leaf.
African Journal of Biotechnology, (2005); 4(12): 1413-1414.

16.Suleyman Alemdar and Sema Agaoglu. Investigation of In vitro Antimicrobial Activity of Aloe vera juice.
Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, (2009);8(1): 99-102.

17.Cock IE. Antimicrobial Activity of Aloe barbadensis Miller Leaf Gel Components. The Internet Journal of
Microbiology. Internetjournal of microbiology volume-4-number 2/ antimicrobial activity of Aloe barbadensis
miller leaf gel components.

18. Ferro VA, Bradbury F, Cameron P, Shakir E, Rahman SR, Stimson WH. In vitro suscep- tibilities of Shigella
flexneri and Streptococcus pyogenes to inner gel of Aloe barbadensis Miller. Antimicrob Agents Chemother,(2003)
;47, 1137-1139.

19. Yang HN, Kim DJ, Kim YM, Kim BH, Sohn KM, Choi MJ, Choi YH Aloe-induced toxic hepatitis. J Korean
Med Sci, (2010); 25, 492-495. 29.

14