Direct and Sunlight-Induced Photosensitizing Antibacterial Activities of Curcuma longa Extract

Curcuma longa is a widely used plant in folk medicine. Here, we assessed the antimicrobial activities of the ethanolic extract of Curcuma longa with particular emphasis on its combined effect with sunlight, as the extract can produce fluorescence in the presence of UV rays. Curcumin is one of the most active ingredients of Curcuma longa. The ethanolic extract of Curcuma longa when added to lawn cultures of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and exposed to sunlight the growth of bacteria was remarkably reduced. Micro broth dilution assay also showed decreased MIC values after exposure to sunlight with MSSA. Our results encourage the potential use of Curcuma longa as an antibacterial product.