ANTIMICROBIAL PROPERTIES

Alchornea Cordifolia commonly known as the Christmas bush or “Ewe ira” in West Africa, isamedicinal plant widely used in traditional medicine for the treatment of infections, wounds, andinflammatory conditions. This study investigates the phytochemical compositionandantimicrobial properties of Alchornea cordifolia leaf extracts. Qualitative phytochemical screening revealed the presence of major bioactive constituents such as alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, glycosides and phenolic compounds, which are known to possess therapeuticand antimicrobial potential. However , terpenoids was absent in the cause of this work. Theantimicrobial activity of the ethanolic leaf extracts was evaluated against selected bacterial isolates including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosaandBacillus substilus. The study employed the agar well diffusion method to assess bacterial susceptibility to varying concentrations (1000 mg/ml, 500 mg/ml, 250 mg/ml,125 mg/ml and62.5mg/ml) of Alchornea cordifolia leaf extract. The results showed no significant degreesorzones of inhibition exhibited by the extract and so suggest further research is needed. Theobserved activity is attributed to the synergistic effects of the identified phytochemicals. Thesefindings support the ethnomedicinal use of Alchornea cordifolia leaves and suggest that theplant could serve as a potential source of natural antimicrobial agents for developing alternativetherapies against resistant microbial strains.

Coconut, as food is usually called perfect diet since it contains almost all of the vitamins the body requires. The phytochemical characteristics of coconut oil was examined to determine the presence of Alkaloid, Flavnoid and Saponin quantitatively. Antimicrobial activities were also determined against several bacterial isolates. The tested organisms were sourced from the University of Benin Teaching hospital (UBTH) and they include Klebsiella species, Streptococcus species, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. and Pseudomonas aeroginosa. The phytochemical examination provided confirmation of the existence of alkaloids, flavonoid and saponin. The Kirby- Bauer disk diffusion method was employed to evaluate sensitivity, with zones of inhibition measured in millimeter diameter. Coconut oil showed activities as well as resistant on the isolates at the various dilution concentrations with the zone of inhibition ranged from 5 mm for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 3 mm for Escherichia coli and 2.5 mm for Streptococcus spp while Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella spp, showed no activities in all the concentrations tested against them. The result of Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) revealed activities at 400 mg/ml for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli, while Streptococcus spp was seen to have activity at 600 mg/ml. The oil was seen to be bacteriostatic up to the highest concentration (1000 mg/ml) used. Since this study identified some bioactive components that are known to be bacteriostatic, it suggests using coconut oil as a medicinal agent and in the battle against antibiotic resistance. To understand the mechanisms of action of the oil and its derivative, more in vitro and in vivo research should be conducted.