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Abstract
The aqueous, ethanolic and petroleum ether extracts of Piliostigma thonningii Fabaceae (Leguminasae) – Caesalpinioidae were tested for bioactive and antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive), Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae (Gram-negative) and Candida albicans (fungus). The ethanolic extracts inhibited the growth of the pathogenic organisms with zones of inhibition ranging from 6.40±0.42 mm to 10.0±0.22 mm while the aqueous and petroleum ether extracts seem to be ineffective. The leaves of Piliostigma thonningii have high concentrations of flavonoids, tannins, steroids, phlobatannins, saponins, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides, and alkaloids. The ability of the ethanolic extract of the leaves to inhibit the growth of the test bacteria and fungus is an indication of its antimicrobial potency which may be employed in the treatment of microbial infections and degenerative diseases.
Highlights
African plants have long been the source of important products with nutritional and medicinal potentials
About 300 g each of the powder was dissolved in 1000 ml of aqueous, ethanol, petroleum ether as solvent, respectively, for 72 hours to achieve maximum extraction for phytochemical screening and antimicrobial potential
Zones of inhibitions were wider at 100mg/ml with ethanolic extract than aqueous and petroleum ether extracts. This showed that ethanol extract inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia and Candida albicans with zones of 8.80±0.24mm, 7.60±0.32mm, 10.0±0.22mm and 6.40±0.42mm respectively; while aqueous and petroleum ether extracts were ineffective against these microbial strains
Summary
African plants have long been the source of important products with nutritional and medicinal potentials. Some of these potentials might be attributed to the bioactive constituents (phytoconstituents) of these plants. Piliostigma thonningii belongs to the family Fabaceae (Leguminasae) – Caesalpinioidae comprising of trees, shrubs or very rarely scramblers (Thompson, 2010). It was previously known as Bauhinia thonningii but later differentiated by its unisexual flowers and indehiscent pods with rusty brown hairs which wear off as the pods mature, becoming somewhat contorted as they age (Thompson, 2010; Djuma, 2003). This research was carried out to determine the antimicrobial activity and bioactive components of Piliostigma thonningii
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