Antimicrobial and Phytochemical Analyses of Extracts of Diplazium sammatii and Pneumatopteris afra on Selected Clinical Strains of Bacteria

Aims: This study was carried out to test for the antibacterial effects of Diplazium sammatii and Pneumatopteris afra plant leaves extracts on some pathogenic bacteria isolates.

Study Design: This study was carried out in triplicates and the results presented are mean values of the recordings.

Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried out in the Microbiology Laboratory of Ekiti State University between January and June, 2011.

Methodology: The plants were collected and air dried at room temperature. The phytochemical constituents were extracted using ethanol, methanol, acetone and cold redistilled water. The agar well diffusion method was used to determine the antimicrobial activity of the plant extracts against Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella species, Escherichia coli and Shigella dysenteriae. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the extracts against the test bacteria was also determined.

Results: The acetone extracts gave the highest zones of inhibition (19.0 mm) of the test bacteria at concentrations ranging from 50 mg/ml (9.0 mm) to 250 mg/ml (19.0 mm), while aqueous extracts gave the least zone of inhibition 2.0mm at the same range of concentrations. The MIC was also observed for both plants at 50.0 mg/ml. Phytochemical screening of the plants revealed the presence of tannins, saponins, flavonoids, cardiacglycosides, anthraquinones and alkaloids.

Conclusion: The growth of all bacteria were inhibited at varying degrees thus justifying their use in traditional medicines in treating bacterial infections and other diseases.