Abstract
In this work, aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Calotropis procera and Clusia rosea leaves were evaluated for phytochemicals and antibacterial activities in an attempt to evaluate their medicinal potentials. The results of the phytochemical screening showed the presence of alkaloids, saponins, glycosides, tannins, and phenolic compounds in the aqueous extracts of Calotropis procera (AqCp) and Clusia rosea (AqCr), and ethanolic extracts of Calotropis procera (EtCp) and Clusia rosea (EtCr). The concentrations of the bioactive constituents in the extracts were in order AqCp > EtCp > AqCr > EtCr. The antibacterial activities were evaluated against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi and, Streptococcus pyrogenes with different concentration of the plant extracts. The results of the antibacterial evaluations indicate the plant extracts can be used to inhibit the growth of the bacteria with AqCp being more effective. The result of this study validates the use of the aqueous extract of plant extracts in ethnomedicine and this could provide a lead in the isolation of antibacterial agents from water extracts of medicinal plants.
Highlights
Nature has been the source of several invaluable medicines and medicinal agents
The results revealed the presence of alkaloids, saponins, glycosides, tannins and phenolic compounds in the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of both plants
Terpenoids were present in the extracts of Calotropis procera and its aqueous extract revealed the presence of flavonoids
Summary
Nature has been the source of several invaluable medicines and medicinal agents. Medicinal plants are the gifts of nature that are widely employed to treat several ailments. The medicinal properties of these plants are due to the presence of secondary metabolites that produce definite physiological action on the human body [1]. Plants are endowed with the natural ability to synthesize and store a great diversity of bioactive substances [2 – 4] with therapeutic tendencies. Some of these metabolites have been successfully isolated and used in the treatment and prevention of diseases [5]. The roles played by plant bioactive substituents in disease control have been demonstrated by many researchers in recent years
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