Phytochemical and Antimicrobial Activity of the Stem-Bark of Gardenia aqualla Stapf & Hutch. (Rubeacea)
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Date
2014-07
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AcademicJournals
Abstract
Gardenia aqualla Stapf & Hutch (Rubeacea) is a plant belonging to the family Rubeacea. Preliminary phytochemistry carried out on the methanolic (ME) extract of the stem bark revealed the presence of steroid, carbohydrates, anthraquinones, saponins, triterpenes, tannins, cardiac glycoside and flavonoid while the petroleum ether (PE) extract of the stem bark revealed the presence of steroid, triterpenes and flavonoids. The PE extract and the ME were evaluated for antimicrobial screening using agar diffusion and broth dilution method on the following clinical isolates; Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus aerogenes, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Shigella dysenterea and the fungi Trichophytom rubrum, Candida albicans and Microsporan spp. Both extracts were active against S. aureus, E. aerogenes, E. coli, S. typhi and S. dysenteriae with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) between 3.13 and 6.25 mg/ml and 1.25 to 2.25 mg/ml for PE and ME extracts, respectively and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) ranged between 12.50 to 25.00 mg/ml and 2.50 to 5.00 mg/ml for PE and ME extracts, respectively. Both extracts showed no antifungal activity. The antibacterial activity of both extracts may be due to the presence of the secondary metabolites present. This study thus justifies the use of this plant in traditional medicine.
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Keywords
Gardenia aqualla, Rubeacea, phytochemistry, antimicrobial activity