emmanuel eimimodebheki

Species belonging to the Cola genus (Malvaceae) are common across tropical regions of Africa and are well known for their use in traditional medicine, particularly for managing infections, inflammatory conditions, and disorders linked to oxidative stress. Several species are also valued in folk practices for their stimulating, antiemetic, and antiproliferative effects. This study investigates the phytochemical profile, as well as the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, of the 70% ethanolic stem bark extract of Cola rostrata. The plant material was collected from Amapu-Igbengwo village, Umuakpara, Abia State, Nigeria. It was air-dried,
pulverized, and extracted using 70% ethanol by maceration. Identification and quantification studies were achieved via high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on a C-12 column with a water–acetonitrile gradient, using 280 nm as detection wavelength. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis employed a DB-5MS column with helium as a carrier gas and compound identification was supported by NIST library matching. Antioxidant capacity was evaluated using DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and TAC assays. Antibacterial activity was determined through agar well diffusion and dilution techniques
against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis,, and Enterobacter cloacae. The mode of antibacterial action was determined by calculating the MBC/MIC ratio for susceptible isolates.