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.