Infections are caused by pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria,
viruses, fungi and protozoa. One of the pathogenic microbes that cause infection
is the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Plants that can be used as traditional
medicine are kersen leaves (Muntingia calabura L.). kersen leaves contain
chemical compounds of flavonoids, tanins, saponins and steroids which are
compounds that have the potential as antibacterial.
This research was conducted to determine the antibacterial activity of
kersen leaf extract against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, to determine the most
effective concentration in inhibiting bacterial growth, and to determine the
compounds contained in cherry leaf extract. The kersen leaf extraction method
using multilevel maceration with n-hexane, ethyl acetate and 96% ethanol as
solvents. Antibacterial activity test was carried out by well diffusion method. The
positive control used was Ciprofloxacin and DMSO 10% as negative control.
The results showed that kersen leaf extract provided the best inhibition
against Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria at a concentration of 80%, namely nhexane extract 14.56 mm, ethyl acetate 15.26, and ethanol 96% at 20.46 mm.
The results of the identification of chemical compounds in kersen leaf extract
contain flavonoid compounds, saponins, tannins, and steroids. The statistical
results of SPSS data obtained that the n-hexane extract and 96% ethanol extract
of kersen leaves were significantly different from the positive control, while the
ethyl acetate extract of kersen leaves was not significantly different.
Keywords: kersen leaf (Muntingia calabura L.), Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
multilevel maceration , well diffusion method.