Evaluation of antibacterial activity of the extracts from Liriope platyphylla and Asparagus cochinchinensis (Liliaceae) used as oriental medicine resource in Korea

Liriope platyphylla and Asparagus cochinchinensis (Liliaceae) is used as complementary oriental medicine resource called Maekmoondong and Cheonmoondong in Korea. This study was carried out to evaluate the antibacterial activity of the two medicinal plants collected in Milyang-si, Kyungsangnam-do Province and Gochang-gun, Jellabuk-do Province of Korea in June, 2018. The ethanol and water extract of tuber from the two plants was evaluated for in vitro antibacterial activity against 4 Gram-positive and 4 Gramnegative bacteria using disc diffusion and minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) method. The extracts of the two plants were not shown clear zone at the tested lower concentration (5 μg/mL and 10 μg/mL) against all the tested bacteria. The extracts also showed activity against Methicillin resistance Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as in the sensitive strain. The water extract of Asparagus cochinchinensis exhibited the lowest MIC value of 20 μg/mL, indicating that the highest activity. These results suggest that Liriope platyphylla and Asparagus cochinchinensis possesses compounds with antibacterial properties and should be further investigated for the active compounds responsible for antibacterial activity.