Study of antimicrobial effect of some plants of Lamiaceae family on Escherichia coli species isolated from children with urinary tract infection

Introduction: Urinary tract infection (UTI) has a high prevalence in children. It is an important cause of renal scar, chronic renal disease, failure to thrive and hypertension. The unnecessary consumption of antibiotics results in the bacterial resistance to most common drugs. In addition, possible drug allergic reaction and side effects should be considered. Therefore, finding new antimicrobial compounds is necessary. Objectives: In this study, the antimicrobial effect of some plants of Lamiaceae family on Escherichia coli in comparison with common antibiotics used in UTI was investigated. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, the hydroalcoholic extract of 13 plant species from Lamiaceae family were prepared and their antimicrobial effects were assessed by the agar well diffusion method. In addition, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were investigated using the serial dilution method. The zone of inhibition (ZOI) of the growth of E. coli was compared between the studied extracts and five most common antibiotics in the treatment of UTI. Results: The mean diameter of ZOI was significantly higher for amikacin than the studied extracts and other antibiotics. Among the herbal extracts, the highest ZOI was observed for Nepeta crispa. In addition, the MIC and MBC of N. crispa were significantly lower than other extracts. Conclusion: According to the side effects and relatively high cost of chemical and synthetic drugs, use of herbal extracts, such as N. crispa may be recommended as an alternative treatment of UTI with E. coli. The results of present study are promising to introduce new candidates in the treatment of UTI.