Abstract
Air-dried leaves of a Musa spp. AAB, cv. "Manzano" plant, known as Ja'as in the Maya culture, were sequentially extracted with hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol; the resulting extracts were investigated for their antimycobacterial activity against susceptible and drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) using the Microplate Alamar Blue Assay. Both the n-hexane extract (HE) and ethyl acetate extract (EE) showed potent activity against both strains of MTB, with the EE exhibiting the strongest activity and a Minimum Inhibitory Concentration of 12.5 and 6.25 μg/mL against susceptible and drug-resistant strains, respectively. Both extracts also demonstrated a mycobactericidal effect and a very good selectivity index when tested for cytotoxic activity on Vero monkey kidney cells, using the Sulforhodamine B assay. Our results demonstrate the efficiency and selectivity of Musa spp. AAB, cv. "Manzano" against MTB strains and support its traditional use as remedy against tuberculosis in Maya traditional medicine.