Objective:  To determine if extracts from autumn-olive bark and berries have any antimicrobial properties.

Introduction:

The extracts from plants have been used by humans for many years.  It has been found that medicinal aromatic plants are often used as a part of African traditional remedies to treat a variety of ailments.  For example, Tetradenia riparia extracts have been used to to treat malaria, fever, coughs, headaches, and toothaches (van Zyl, 2006).  Even now, the many people in undeveloped countries depend on natural remedies for medicine. (Prabuseenivasan, S. et. al 2006)

Many plants have amtimicrobial properities  or the ability ton inhibit microbe growth.  Recently it has been found that gram-negative bacteria are typically less suspectible to the action of essential oils due to the presence of the outer membrane surrounding the cell wall, which restricts the diffusion of lipophilic compoundes throug through the lipopolysaccharide covering (van Zyle, 2006).

Plant parts typcially with extractable antimicrobial compounds include buds, bark, fruit, roots, flowers among others.  Many parts of the plant contain compounds active against microbes.  The plant part containing the antimicrobial compound is species dependent (Cowan).  Conifer pitch possess antimicrobual properties (spruce), the antimicrobial properties inhibited bacteria growth significantly.   

Examples include thyme or teatree oil are essential oils that are typically extracted..... Devil's club is an example that protects agianst Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. auium

Tea tree oil (TTO) is a non-water soluble essential oil that is typically extracted by agar and broth dilution assay's (Marshall 2001)

Water is the universal solvent, used by home herbalists to make teas and decoctions.  As some identified compounds from plants active against microorganisms are aromatic or saturated organic compounds, ethanol or methanol extraction is the most effective method for removing antimicrobial compounds (Cowan 1999). 

Lab versus environmental bacteria.  Some plant extracts are more effective against gram positive bacteria and some more effective upon gram negative bacteria (Batchelder 2004).

Many plants that are known, include cinnamon, eucalyptus, and rosemary  are just a few examples of the many plants which have shown antimicrobial abilities. Research could not be found for any antimicrobial properties in autumn-olive not known.