Antimicrobial investigation of semipurified fractions of Ginkgo biloba leaves

A total methanolic extract of Ginkgo biloba leaves was fractionated by solv ent partition using ethyl acetate (fraction A), n-butanol (fraction B) and water (fraction C). The antimicrobial activity of the three fractions was e valuated using a number of Gram-positive and -negative bacteria and yeasts. The apolar fraction A appeared to be the most interesting because of its a ctivity against several microorganisms; this fraction was further separated by high performance liquid chromatography, and shown to contain substances with strong inhibitory activity against Enterococcus faecalis 31, differen t from the major known chemical components of G. biloba leaves. (C) 2000 El sevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.