Chemical Constituents Screening and in Vitro Antibacterial Assessment of Prunus Africana Bark Hydromethanolic Extract

Abstract

Worldwide many people use plants as a source of medicine in the treatment of various diseases. Plants have been used since the origin of man in the treatment of diseases even before the invention of allopathic drugs. Plants’ originating drugs are believed to be safe, readily available and affordable especially to people living in developing countries. The current study was done to analyze the antibacterial activity and perform phytochemical screening of the plant Prunus africana bark. The plant samples were extracted using methanol and water in the ratio 9:1. The antibacterial activity was done using well diffusion method and the chemical constituents screening was done using standard procedures. From the results the plant was found to contain all the phytochemicals tested except steroids. The plant inhibited the growth of all the microorganisms tested. Salmonella typhi had the highest zone of inhibition of 17.33±0.882, then Proteus vulgaris with a zone of inhibition of 16.67±0.333, Serratia marscecens 16.67±0.333, Escherichia coli 12.33±0.333 and Bacillus cereus 11.67±0.333 zone of inhibition. Penicillin which was used as the positive control inhibited the growth of all the microorganisms tested while the negative control did not inhibit any of the microorganisms. The inhibition of the plant against all the microorganisms is a clear indication that if further study is done the plant can be used in treatment against infections caused by the microorganisms tested. Further research needs to be done to isolate the active compounds and analyze their structural composition, their mode of action and their effect in the in vivo environment.

Keywords: Phytochemical, Antibacterial, Plants, Prunus africana, Medicinal