Abstract
Dacryodes edulis is a dioecious, small to medium-sized tree, reaching 20 to 25 m high. Different parts of the plant are used to treat many diseases including skin infections, digestive tract disorder and dysentery. The leaves were macerated in 50% ethanol and the liquid extract concentrated to dryness. The dry extract was evaluated for antibacterial activity by using agar diffusion method. The extract was partitioned between water, ethyl acetate and butanol successively and further subjected to antibacterial testing. The most active fraction, ethyl acetate fraction, was purified through various chromatographic methods to obtain pure compounds identified by spectroscopic methods as ethylgallate and quercitrin. These compounds gave good antibacterial effects, while the minimum inhibitory concentrations of the fractions and the pure compounds ranged between 12.5 and 250 µg/ml. These phenolic compounds are reported for the first time in this plant. Key word: Dacryodes edulis, antibacterial activity, ethylgallate, quercitrin.
Highlights
Dacryodes edulis is a dioecious, small to medium-sized tree reaching 20 to 25 m high, and it is low branching (Hutchinson and Dalziel, 1958)
The most active fraction, ethyl acetate fraction, was purified through various chromatographic methods to obtain pure compounds identified by spectroscopic methods as ethylgallate and quercitrin
Two phenolic compounds were isolated from the leaves of D. edulis
Summary
Dacryodes edulis is a dioecious, small to medium-sized tree reaching 20 to 25 m high, and it is low branching (Hutchinson and Dalziel, 1958). The root bark is used for leprosy in Congo Brazaville (Bouquet, 1969), while resin from the bark heals scars and other skin problems in Nigeria (Ekong and Okogun, 1969; Burkill, 1985). In Nigeria, the stem and root are used as chewing sticks for oral hygiene, while the leaves are employed to cure skin diseases, such as rashes, scabies, ringworm and wound (Igoli et al, 2005; Ajibesin et al, 2008). Different parts of the plant, such as the leaf, stem, root and fruit have been reported to produce essential oil of the monoterpene, sesquiterpene, diterpene and triterpene types (Ekong and Okogun, 1969; Jirovetz et al, 2003; Onocha et al, 1999). Antibacterial effect of the essential oil has been reported (Obame et al, 2008), but no report on the organic extract of the plant and its chemical constituents is available
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