Study The Antimicrobial Activity of Ethanolic Extract of Lepidium draba on Some Skin Infectious Agents

Background: medicinal plants are abundant in phytochemicals, which represent the richest bioresource of drugs are used against various diseases. Objective: The present study included an in-vitro antimicrobial investigation for one of wild Iraqi plant Lepidium draba on some skin infectious agents. Methods: The fresh aerial plant parts were macerated in 80% ethanol and subjected to phytochemical general test to investigate the plant active contents. Totat flavonoids were isolated through plant reflex in acidic aqeous solution to obtain the aglycone flavonoids using ethylacetate as an organic solvent. Qualification and quantification of the isolated total flavonoids were done in coressponding to standard s flavonoids. An antimicrobial activity for the crud ethanolic extract and the isolated total flavonoids had been carried out on some skin infectous agents using the following strain: Staph aureus, Pseudomoneus aerogenosa  and Candida albicans. Results: the outcome showed that the plant contain major active constituent included flavonoids Tannins, polysaccharides, alkaloids,saponines and Polyphenolic compounds.The plant contains many types of flavonoids including Rutin, Qurecetin, Kampferol and Luteolin, and each 100 g fresh aerial parts will contain 28 mg total flavonoids. The amount of each type of flavonoids were detected by HPLC technique. the extracted flavonoids at concentation of 4mg/ml showed potent effect upon the gram bacteria  negative pseudomonas aeruginosa  which is known to be more virulence than the gram positive strains but has no effect on Staphylococcus aureus. Also the extracted flavonoids appeared to be  affected against  the Candida albicans growth. Conclusion: the ethanolic extractv of  locally plant L.draba is effecient to inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria and decrease the chances of skin infection  that provided the justification for therapeutic potential as supplementary or alternative medicine.