Antimicrobial activities and phytochemical screening of pignut (Jatrophas curcas Linn.) on some pathogenic bacteria

Abstract

The use of antimicrobial agents for the control of pathogenic bacteria is helpful in the treatment of infections and diseases. Hence, there is need to investigate the antimicrobial properties of plant extracts that have not been done. The ethanolic extracts of the leaf and bark of Jatrophas curcas Linn. (Euphorbiaceae) were tested for antimicrobial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus vulgaris, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi and Shigella dysenteriae by agar well diffusion method. The ethanolic extracts inhibited the above pathogenic bacteria with zones of inhibition ranging from 30.6 to 38.5 mm and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranging from 2.2 to 10.0 mm. The leaf and bark extracts of J. curcas have high concentration of tannin, saponin, flavonoid, steroid, alkaloid, cardiac glycoside, anthraquinone and terpenoid. The ability of the ethanolic extracts of the leaf and bark of J. curcas to inhibit growth of the test bacteria is an indication of its antimicrobial potency which may be employed in treatment of microbial infections.