Study of antibacterial effect of the hydroalchoholic extract of Teucrium polium against clinical strain of Gardnerella vaginalis in vitro

Bacterial vaginosis is caused by a change in the dominant and normal flora of the vagina (lactobacilli) to a multimicrobial flora, including G. vaginalis . Today, due to the emergence of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic microbial species and side effects of antibiotic therapy, researchers have turned their attention to natural compounds. Teucrium polium (T.P) is a member of the mint family that has wide applications in traditional medicine and its antimicrobial effects have been shown in previous studies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial effect of hydroalcoholic extract of T.P on the clinical strain of G. vaginalis in vitro. In the present experimental study, the hydroalcoholic extract of T.P was prepared by maceration method and total flavonoid content of T.P extract was determined. after preparing concentrations of 0.195–0.195 mg/ml, its antibacterial effect was determined by disk diffusion and macrobroth dilution methods. Data were analyzed by SPSS statistical software version 20. The flavonoid content of T.P extract was 8,033 mg routine equivalents per gram of dry extract. The MIC and MBC of the hydroalcoholic extract of T.P for G. vaginalis were 5 and 10 mg/ml respectively. The mean inhibition zone diameter at concentrations of 10, 5 and 2.5 mg/ml of hydroalcoholic extract of T.P were 12.67, 9.33 and 4.67 mm, respectively. In this study, it was found that the hydroalcoholic extract of T.P has in vitro antibacterial properties on the clinical strain of G. vaginalis and it is recommended for further study in clinical trials.