PHYTOCHEMICAL AND ANTIBACTERIAL STUDIES OF THE STEM BARK AND ROOT OF ALCHORNEA CORDIFOLIA (EUPHORBIACEAE)

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Date
2012-12
Authors
OSUMAH, Rabiah Orchewa
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Abstract
Stembark and root of Alchornea cordifolia were extracted with water and ethanol and the resulting extracts were further fractionated with n- butanol, hexane and ethylacetate. The extracts and fractions were screened for phytocompounds. Antibacterial activities of the plant extracts and fractions against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi were investigated using agar diffusion and broth dilution methods. For comparism, the antibiotic susceptibility profiles of the bacterial isolates to standard antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin and gentamicin were determined using agar diffusion and broth dilution methods. The effect of temperature on the antibacterial activity of the plant extracts and rate of death/survival of the bacterial isolates on exposure to stembark extract and gentamicin were investigated Phytochemical screening of A. cordifolia stembark and root extracts and fractions revealed the presence of sterols, flavonoids, tannins, saponin, glycosides, cardiac glycosides, anthroquinones, resins and carbohydrates. The stem bark extracts and fractions of A. cordifolia demonstrated a high level of antibacterial activity on the various clinical test bacterial isolates than the root extracts. The results of the zones of inhibition showed by the extracts indicated that there is no significant difference at p > 0.05 between the activities of the the root and stembark. The minimum inhibitory concentration values of the extracts and fractions against S. aureus, S. typhi, Ps. aeruginosa and E. coli ranged between 0.78 mg/ml – 25.0 mg/ml and 0.39 mg/ml – 1.53 mg/ml respectively. While the minimum bacericidal concentrations of the extracts and fractions were between 12.5 mg/ml – 100 mg/ml and 25.0 mg/ml – 100 mg/ml respectively. Antibacterial activity of the ethyl acetate fraction of the ethanol extract against test Staphylococcus aureus is comparable to that of ciprofloxacin. The result of the effect temperature on the antibacterial activity of the extracts revealed that the extracts maintained their activity at a lower temperature and the zones of inhibition decreased with increase in temperature. The stembark extract showed a fast and consistent rate of kill against test E. coli similar to gentamicin biocidal activity.
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A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA. IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER OF SCIENCE (M.SC) IN PHARMACEUTICAL MICROBIOLOGY. DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACEUTICS AND PHARMACEUTICAL MICROBIOLOGY FACULTY OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA. DECEMBER 2012.
Keywords
PHYTOCHEMICAL,, ANTIBACTERIAL,, STUDIES,, STEM,, STEM,, ROOT,, ALCHORNEA,, CORDIFOLIA,, (EUPHORBIACEAE,
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