Antibacterial Potential of Aloe weloensis (Aloeacea) Leaf Latex against Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacteria Strains

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the antibacterial effects of the leaf latex of Aloe weloensis against infectious bacterial strains. METHODS: The leaf latex of A. weloensis at different concentrations (400, 500, and 600 mg/ml) was evaluated for antibacterial activities using the disc diffusion method against some Gram-negative species such as Escherichia coli (ATCC 14700) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 35619) and Gram-positive such as Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 50080) and Enterococcus fecalis (ATCC 4623). RESULTS: The tested concentrations of the latex ranging between 400 and 600 mg·mL(−1) showed significant antibacterial activity against bacterial strain. The highest dose (600 mg/ml) of A. weloensis leaf latex revealed the maximum activity (25.93 ± 0.066 inhibition zone) followed by the dose 500 mg/ml against S. aureus. The lowest antibacterial activity was observed by the concentration 400 mg/ml (5.03 ± 0.03) against E. coli. CONCLUSION: The results of the present investigation suggest that the leaf latex of A. weloensis can be used as potential leads to discover new drugs to control some bacterial infections.