Antimicrobial Properties of Cola Nitida

Abstract

The antimicrobial evaluation of ethanol, methanol and aqueous extracts of Cola nitida on Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli was experimented. The assay was carried out by agar disc diffusion method. Results showed that the ethanol, methanol and aqueous extracts of the seed were found to be of a relatively higher effect having a zone of inhibition of 5mm against the samples of S. aureus than the other bacteria at the concentration of 400mg/mm. None of the extract was active against P. aeruginosa. E. coli showed a zone of inhibition of 3mm with ethanolic extract but showed a lower zone of inhibition with both methanol and aqueous extract. When compared to standard antibiotics such as septrin, amoxicillin, tetracycline, ampiclox and doxycycline, all the extracts had a high zone of inhibition of 5mm on S. aureus except for doxycycline which showed a higher zone of inhibition on all the test organisms. This antimicrobial property showed by the seed extracts on some of the organisms is an evidence of the ethno-medicinal uses of the plants due to the presence of some phytochemicals such as saponins, tanins, and alkaloids among others. For effective utilization of these Cola seeds as well as other relevant parts of the Cola plant, further research has been recommended.