Olajumoke Omolara Ojo, Soretiwa Sunday Ajayi and Lawrence Olawale Owolabi
Two ethno-medicinally important plant species were extracted in three different solvents (aqueous, ethanol and methanol) and tested for their antimicrobial properties against selected human pathogenic organisms which include Staphylococcus aereus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp, Salmonella, Shigella, and Pseudomonas aeuroginosa from patients admitted to Teaching Hospital Ado-Ekiti. The medicinal plant species, Rauvolfia vomitoria and Peperomia pellucida were found to possess higher degree of antimicrobial activity in the organic solvent. The aqueous and ethanol extracts had zones of inhibition suggesting susceptibilities of the organisms (1.0 to 14.0mm at concentration of 25�?¼g/ml). Methanol extract shows antibacterial activities with zones of inhibition that varied from 1.0 to 14.0mm at 200�?¼g/ml. The organic extracts of Peperomia pellucida were also potent inhibitors of bacteria growth, showing the least MIC of 2.0�?¼l/ml on most bacterial strains tested. A preliminary phytochemical report of the extracts shows the presence of phyto-constituents like flavonoids alkaloids, glycosides and phenolic compounds. The concentration of the following mineral elements were also determined: sodium, potassium, calcium, zinc, iron, manganese, lead and phosphorus while the percentage composition of ash, moisture, protein, fat, fibre carbohydrates and sugars were determined in the proximate analysis. The study suggests that the plants are promising for development of phytomedicine. The antimicrobial properties also indicates the potential usefulness of these plants in the treatment of various pathogenic disease which in future can be developed as a potential antimicrobial agent with reduced toxicity and adverse effects when compared with the synthetic chemotherapeutic agents.
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