Abstract

ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF EXTRACTS OF ALCHORNEA CORDIFOLIA LEAF AGAINST SELECTED UROPATHOGENS

Ekpiken Solomon Ekpiken*, Ubong Samuel Ekong, Paul Sunday Thomas and Nneka Ndifon Agbiji

ABSTRACT

Alchornea cordifolia leaves have varying ethnopharmacological potentials as well as antibacterial activities against bacterial uropathogens. This study was conducted to determine the antibacterial activities of ethanol extracts of A. cordifolia leaves against some uropathogens. Standard techniques were used in crude extraction followed by phytochemical screening of the extracts. Standard microbiological procedures were adopted to isolate the uropathogens, then API and Vitek 2 automated machine was used to identify the uropathogens. Findings revealed the presence of flavonoids, tannins, terpenoids, saponins, alkaloids and cardiac glycosides. Antibacterial activities showed that ethanol leaf extracts possessed bactericidal potencies against Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter cloacae, Enterobacter aerogenes, Bacillus proteolyticus and Proteus mirabilis that ranged from 17.0±0.0 mm to 25.0±1.0 mm, 17.0±0.0 mm to 23.0±1.0 mm, 13.0±0.0 mm to 20.0±1.0 mm 9.5±0.5 mm to 17.0±1.0 mm, 10.0±0.0 mm to 14.5±0.5 mm, 13.0±1.0 mm to 15.5±0.5 mm and 15.0±0.5 mm to 25.0±0.0 mm respectively and 11.0±0.0 mm to 15.5±1.5 mm, 18.0±2.0 mm, and 19.0±1.0 mm respectively. Resistance with no zones of inhibition were observed in S. aureus and E. aerogenes at all concentrations in aqueous leaf extract. The results obtained are promising and gives high hopes to the possible use of A. cordifolia ethanol leave extract as antibacterial agent in treating UTIs caused by these uropathgens in the era of antibiotic resistance. 

Keywords: Bacillus proteolyticus and Proteus mirabilis that ranged from 17.0±0.0 mm to 25.0±1.0 mm, 17.0±0.0 mm to 23.0±1.0 mm, 13.0±0.0 mm to 20.0±1.0 mm 9.5±0.5 mm to 17.0±1.0 mm, 10.0±0.0 mm to 14.5±0.5 mm, 13.0±1.0 mm to 15.5±0.5 mm and 15.0±0.5 mm to 25.0±0.0