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. Key words: Gardenia aqualla, Rubeacea, phytochemistry, antimicrobial activity.
Highlights
Diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and other parasites are major causes of death, disability, social and economic disruption for millions of people (UNAIDS/WHO, 2008)
Dilution of the micro-organism in dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) was done until the turbidity (1.5 × 106 cfu/ml) matched that of the McFarland scale by visual comparison
From the suspension of the micro-organism in DMSO, 0.1 ml was inoculated into the different concentrations of the extract in the nutrient broth
Summary
Viruses, fungi and other parasites are major causes of death, disability, social and economic disruption for millions of people (UNAIDS/WHO, 2008). Despite the existence of safe and effective interventions, many people lack access to preventive and treatment care. License 4.0 International License agents, microbes developed the ability to elude our best weapons and to counterattack with new survival strategies. Antibiotic resistance occurs at an alarming rate among all classes of mammalian pathogens. Pneumococci resistant to penicillin and Enterococci resistant to vancomycin have become common.
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