Abstract

ANTIBACTERIAL PROPERTIES OF SENNA ALATA AND CITRUS SINENSIS LEAVES EXTRACTS AGAINST SOME SELECTED BACTERIA ISOLATED FROM FISH PONDS IN CALABAR METROPOLIS

Ekpiken S. Ekpiken*, Joseph F. Nfongeh and Emmanuel E. Bassey

ABSTRACT

The emergence of drug resistant bacterial strains is a great concern to infectious disease management; hence the quest for plants with the desired phytopharmaceutical constituents is an alternative option to infectious disease management. This study was aimed to determine phytochemical compounds and antibacterial activities of Senna alata and Citrus sinensis leaves extracts against medically significant bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) isolated from fish ponds in Calabar metropolis. Senna alata and Citrus sinensis leaves were collected within Cross River University of Technology, Calabar campus. The leaves were air-dried for two weeks and the pulverized materials extracted by soxhlet method using ethanol as solvent. Antibacterial activity of the extracts on each of the test bacteria was evaluated using agar well diffusion technique at varying concentrations (200 – 25mg/ml). Both extracts demonstrated considerable activity against all test bacteria with C. sinensis extract showing the highest activity. Ethanol extract of C. sinensis showed activity against the test bacteria at 200mg/ml, 100mg/ml and 50mg with varying inhibition zones, while S. alata extract showed no inhibition against E. coli and P. aeruginosa at 50mg/ml. This indicates that ethanol extract of C. sinensis was more potent than ethanol extract of S. alata. Results of the phytochemical analysis of ethanol extract of C. sinensis revealed the presence of alkaloids, saponins, tannins, glycosides, polyphenol, steroids, reducing compound and flavonoids. For Senna alata extract, it showed alkaloids, tannins, glycosides, polyphenol, phlobatanins, steroids, reducing compound and flavonoids. The results of this study re-affirm the medicinal use of the plants.

Keywords: Senna alata, Citrus sinensis, Calabar, Ponds, Clarias gariepinus.