DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACEUTICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY

The emergence of multi-drug resistant microbes has rekindled the interest on plant derived compounds as alternatives to existing antimicrobial agents.This study d et e rmi n e d the antimicrobial property of ethyl acetate extract of the fibrous stem of Bryophyllum pinnatum and phytochemical constituents of the fibrous stem. The ethyl acetate extract of the fibrous stem did not show any antimicrobial activity against the clinical fungal and bacterial isolates at 0.3g/mL concentration of the extract. Phytochemical analysis showed that alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, tannins,saponins and glycoside which are responsible for antimicrobial activity were not detected. Gas Chromatography -Mass Spectroscopy also identified various phytocomponents. The ethyl acetate extract did not show anti-microbial activity.

The meaning of probiotics has been altered with expanding information in the field of how they work. (Thantsha, 2012) The term is gotten from the Greek language meaning 'for life. In the past, there have been many endeavors to characterize the term probiotic, one of the first being portrayed by Lilly and Stillwell in 1965 (Thantsha, 2012) . They defined probiotics as “substances secreted by one microorganism, which stimulates the growth of another”. The focal point of this definition was to recognize them and clarify that they are something contrary to antibiotics. Hence, in 1974, Parker characterized them as “organisms and substances which contribute to intestinal microbial balance” (Schrezenmier & de Vrese, 2001). In 1989, Fuller tried to improve on Parker’s definition by proposing the following definition: “live microbial feed supplement, which beneficially affects the host (animal or human) by improving its intestinal microbial balance” (Salminen et al, 1999; Vilsiljevic & Shah, 2008). Then, Havenaar & Huis In’t Veld (1992) defined probiotics acceptably as ‘a viable mono- or mixed culture of microorganisms which applies to animal or man, beneficially affects the host by improving the properties of the indigenous microflora’. Schrezenmeir & de Vrese (2001) defined the term probiotic as “a preparation of or a product containing viable, defined microorganisms in sufficient numbers, which alter the microflora by implantation or colonization, in a compartment of the host and by that, exert beneficial effects on host health”. Among these depictions and definitions, there were numerous others,

The increasing global challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) underscores the urgent need for novel bioactive agents from natural sources. This study evaluated the antimicrobial potential and chemical composition of volatile oils obtained from Citrus sinensis and Eupatorium capillifolium, two plants widely used in traditional medicine.
Fresh leaves of both species were subjected to hydro-distillation using clevenger apparatus, and the percentage yield was determined to be 0.3% for Citrus sinensis and 0.6% for Eupatorium capillifolium. Gas Chromatography (GC-MS) analysis revealed that Citrus sinenesis oil contain major components such as D-limonene (11%), linalool (7.94%), gamma-terpene (9.93), 2, 6-octadienal (7.03), while Eupatorium capilifolium revealed
alpha-phellandrene (8.84%), 3-carene (8.67%), alpha-pinene (2.95%).
Antimicrobial activity was assessed using the cup-plate diffusion method against selected bacterial and fungal strains, including Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella aerogenes, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus niger. The volatile oil of C. sinensis demonstrated a high level of activity
against the fungal species at all concentration (5 to 25%w/v), the zone of inhibition range from 12mm to 30mm for Candida albicans and 8mm to 20mm for Aspergillus aerogenes, and showed weak inhibitory activities against bacteria species with activities shown at the highest concentration of (25%w/v), with a zone of inhibition of 10mm for P.aeruginosa,14mm for K.aerogenes, and 15mm for B.subtilis, with no inhibition against S.aureus and E.coli E. capillifolium oil showed high level of inhibitory activity at all concentration (5 to 25%w/v) with range of 10mm to 20mm for E. coli and 11mm to 19mm for P.aeruginosa,
with no activity seen against K.aeregenes, S.aureus, B.subtilis, C.albicans and A.niger. The result obtained indicate that the volatile oil of each plants has pharmaceutical importance and can be utilize d in the treatment of some ailments.