Pomegranate, Bottle gourd, Antibacterial activity, Tetracycline

Treatment with antibiotics is accompanied by difficulties, such as unwanted side effects and drug resistance. Medicinal plants can be considered as suitable alternative, because they may have fewer side effects. Pomegranate and bottle gourd are fruits that are easily available in many areas of the world. The current study was aimed to determine the antibacterial effect of these nutrients. In this experimental study, the antibacterial activity of whole fruit powder extract of skinless pomegranate and bottle gourd and their fruit juices, were determined by the disc plate method against six different bacterial species, including salmonella typhi, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus Subtilis and Shigella dysentery. The diameter of zone of inhibition was measured by adding the samples and tetracycline (as reference) in the culture medium containing each bacterium (at least 3 times for each sample). To compare the groups, ANOVA and Tukey's tests were used at the significant level of P<0.05. Powder extract of pomegranate (250 µg/disc) could stop the growth of the studied bacteria (except Bacillus Subtilis) mildly, whereas the fruit juices of pomegranate and bottle gourd and the powder extract of bottle gourd did not show antibacterial activity. The mild antibacterial activity of powder extract of pomegranate may be related to its more polyphenolic compounds compared to bottle gourd