Crude extracts of Magnolia alba flowers using n-hexane and methanol solvents and their anti-acne potential

Sofia Munira, Rosnani Nasution*, Nurdin Saidi, Muhammad Bahi, Marianne Marianne

Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to test the antibacterial activity of n-hexane and methanol extracts of white cempaka flowers (Magnolia alba) against Propionibacterium acnes bacteria. The extract was obtained by using the maceration method for 72 hours. Each extract was tested for its antibacterial properties using the disc diffusion method with the variant concentration of the extract used was 0.05%; 2%; 4%; 6%; and 8%. The results showed that the methanol extract had a higher inhibition zone than the n-hexane extract. In n-hexane extract, the lowest concentration of 0.05% showed an inhibition zone of 6.6 mm and the highest concentration of 8% had an inhibition zone of 9.6 mm. Whereas in methanol extract, the inhibition zone obtained was 7.3 mm at a low concentration of 0.05%, but at the highest concentration of 8% the inhibition zone obtained was 11.6 mm. The effect of extract concentration on the diameter of the inhibition zone formed is very significant (directly proportional), where the higher the concentration used, the larger the diameter of the inhibition zone produced. Antibacterial testing for both extracts showed a weak (< 10> 10 mm) bacterial inhibition, which was similar with the inhibition zone obtained from the positive control (11-11.3 mm; moderate bacterial inhibition).

Keywords:

Magnolia alba, antibacterial, Propionibacterium acnes, skin disease, anti-acne