Volume 3, Issue 5

 

Evaluation of phytochemical and potential antibacterial activity of Ziziphus spina-christi L. against some medically important pathogenic bacteria obtained from University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri, Borno State – Nigeria

 

Author(s): A. M. Bukar, M. Z. Kyari, P. A. Gwaski, M. Gudusu, F. S. Kuburi and Y. I. Abadam

Abstract: Plants form an integral part of life in many indigenous African communities. Due to either limited availability or affordability of pharmaceutical medicines about 80% of the rural population in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) depends on traditional herbal remedies for primary health care (PHC) and veterinary use. The aim of the study is to determine the phytochemical and antibacterial activity of the seed oil extracts of Z. spina-christi Ziziphus spina-christi L. found to have potential antibacterial activity against four medically important bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Shigella spp and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). The antibacterial activity of seed oil extracts of Ziziphus spina-christi was examined using agar well diffusion method. The result obtained showed that the essential oil was active against Gram-positive more than Gram-negative bacteria, the essential oil had strong antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (zone of inhibition of growth is 11 mm, E. coli (zone of inhibition of growth is 10 mm), Shigella spp (zone of inhibition of growth is 8mm) and P. aeruginosa (zone of inhibition of growth is 8 mm). Physiochemical screening of the oil extract of Ziziphus spina-christi revealed presence of different types of secondary metabolites such as glycosides, tannins and alkaloids. The seed oil extract of Ziziphus spina-christi showed significant activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli that suggest that the chemical components that exist in the extract such as glycosides, alkaloids and tannins have the powerful antibacterial effects on the bacterial cell wall and DNA. The results of this study have provided scientific validity for the use of this seed oil in the treatment of bacteria-related infections in herbal medicine.

 

Download Full Article: Click Here