Evaluation of Antibacterial and Antifungal Activity of Pistacia atlantica Subsp. kurdica Oil Gum Extract from Halabja Province/ Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Abstract

The Pistica atlantica subsp. kurdica, or Ghazwan in Kurdish, which is widely distributed in Kurdistan region, Northern Iraq, is a native plant of this region and the major source of a Kurdish gum. This study investigates the antibacterial and antifungal effect of essential oil extracted from the gum. The gum was collected in June-July 2019 from the region of Halabja, a city in the north of Iraq. Essential oil was extracted by using hydro distillation method; the antibacterial activity was evaluated by agar well diffusion test and the inhibition zone (in mm) was determined against six selected bacterial strains which included Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Micrococcus leuteus, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia. The antifungal activity was assessed by testing different concentrations of oil gum against Aspergillus brasiliensis. Results showed the oil gum extract to have significant antibacterial activity against both Gram positive and negative bacteria and also to have strong antifungal activity because no growth was identified at different concentrations of the extract and the extract significantly inhibited growth of the Aspergillus brasiliensis. The data of this study suggested that Pistica atlantica subsp. kurdica oil gum has potential for application in pharmaceutical drugs against bacteria and fungi.

Keywords

• antibacterial,
• antifungal,
• inhibition zone,
• pistica atlantica subsp. kurdica,
• oil gum