Antimycobacterial activity some different lamiaceae plant extracts containing flavonoids and other phenolic compounds

Abstract

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a pathogenic bacteria species of the genus Mycobacterium, first discovered in 1882 by Robert Koch, which causes tuberculosis (TB) (Ryan & Ray, 2004). The disease is characterized by symptoms such as sepsis, septic shock, multiple organ failure (Muckart & Bhagwanjee, 1997). It may spread to the central nervous system and cause TB meningitis, intracranial tuberculomas, or abscesses (Harisinghani et al., 2000; Hwang et al., 2010). After the late 1980s, tuberculosis morbidity and mortality rates became a major health problem for industrialized countries (Raviglione et al., 1995; Heym & Cole, 1997). Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) and extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR TB) has become a common phenomenon, which cause drugs to be ineffective. MDRTB results from either primary infection or may develop in the course of a patient's treatment. MDR TB is resistant to at least two first-line anti-TB drugs, isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RIF), which are most powerful anti-TB drugs; XDR TB is resistant to INH and RIF, plus fluoroquinolone and at least one of three injectable second-line drugs such as capreomycin, kanamycin, and amikacin. Treatment of XDR-TB is not possible by first-line anti-TB drugs, which are less effective, expensive and toxic; in addition treatment takes two years or more (WHO, 2011a; WHO, 2011b).