Potential of Single-Bulb Garlic and Single-Bulb Black Garlic Extracts to Eradicate Uropathogenic Escherichia coli

Abstract

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is the main causative organism of urinary tract infections (UTIs). The increasing resistance of UPEC to conventional antibiotics necessitates the exploration of alternative treatments, including the use of herbal remedies such as single-bulb garlic.  This study aimed to evaluate and compare the antibacterial potential of single-bulb garlic extract and single-bulb black garlic extract against clinical isolates of UPEC. The study was conducted at the Microscopic Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Tanjungpura, in June 2023. Ethanol (96%) was used for the extraction process and the antibacterial activity was assessed using the disc diffusion method. The study included  10 treatment groups, comprising single-bulb garlic and single-bulb black garlic extracts at concentrations of 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%, with nitrofurantoin (300 µg/disc) as the positive control and 1% DMSO as the negative control. The results indicated that the single-bulb garlic extract exhibited no antibacterial activity against UPEC at any concentration. In contrast, the single-bulb black garlic extract demonstrated antibacterial activity at 75% and 100% concentrations, with inhibition zones of 7.28 mm and 7.24 mm, respectively. These findings suggest that single-bulb black garlic extract is more effective than single-bulb garlic extract in inhibiting the growth of UPEC (p = 0.001).