Antimicrobial and antioxidative effects of roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) flower extract and its fractions on skin microorganisms and oxidation

Antimicrobial and antioxidative effects of 14 different herbal flower extracts on skin microorganisms and oxidation were tested in this research. Herbal flower extracts were prepared with 70% ethanol. Among the herbal flower extracts, roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) flower extract showed the highest antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus epidermidis as determined by a paper disc method. The seventy % ethanol extract of roselle flower was fractionated by sequential hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and water fractionation. The growth of S. epidermidis, Streptomyces collinus, Streptomyces coeruleoprunus, Salmonella enteritidis, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Malassezia pachydermatis was most efficiently inhibited by ethyl acetate fraction of roselle flower extract as determined by a paper disc method and growth inhibition curves. In addition, the ethyl acetate fraction, water fraction and butanol fraction showed free radical scavenging and DNA cleavage inhibition activities. These results demonstrate that roselle flowers hold antimicrobial and antioxidative activities against skin microorganisms and oxidants.