ANTIBACTERIAL POTENTIAL OF Adansonia digitata L. (Baobab) LEAF EXTRACTS AGAINST MULTIDRUGRESISTANT
BACTERIA
AYODEJI SUNDAY ADEDEJI1*, OLUWATOSIN OMOBOLANLE OYEBIYI2, ABIODUN OMOLARA
AKINKUGBE1, EMMANUEL PRAISE IDOGBE1, TAYE MICHAEL ONIWAYA1, BABAJIDE ENIOLURUNDA BAYO-AFOLABI1
1 Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Applied Science, Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria.
2 Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria.
Afr. J Pharm Res Dev; Volume 18(2): 784-798; 2026
ABSTRACT
The increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacteria have turned bacterial infections into a significant global healthcare challenge, necessitating immediate action. This study evaluated the antibacterial activity of Adansonia digitata L. leaf extracts against multidrug-resistant isolates, including Pseudomonas sp., Klebsiella spp., Escherichia sp., Staphylococcus sp., and Bacillus sp. The bacterial isolates were confirmed through morphological, cultural and biochemical characterization. Subsequently, bacterial isolates were subjected to antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST), and multiple antibiotic resistant (MAR) indices were determined. The leaves of A. digitata L. were extracted using aqueous and ethanol-based solvents. The antibacterial activity of the resulting plant extracts was evaluated at varying concentrations (100, 50, 25, and 12.5 mg/L). Determination of Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were carried out by broth dilution method, and the minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) were established by plating aliquots from non-turbid wells. The AST results revealed that all isolates were multidrug-resistant with varying susceptibility to some antibiotics. Extracts of Adansonia digitata L. demonstrated notable antibacterial effects against the tested organisms, with ethanolic extract showing greater activity. Ethanolic extract further demonstrated bactericidal activity against all tested organisms at concentrations between 40–80 mg/mL except for Escherichia coli, which exhibited resistance at various concentrations. In contrast, the aqueous extract demonstrated only bacteriostatic activity with no bactericidal effect observed. The significant antibacterial activity of A. digitata L. leaves against MDR organisms, particularly the bactericidal effect of the ethanolic extract, highlights their potential as a source of therapeutic agents for MDR pathogen infections.
Keywords: Antibacterial Activity, Adansonia digitata Leaf, Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria, Aqueous and Ethanolic extracts, MIC and MBC.
*Correspondence: [email protected];
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59493/ajopred/2026.2.7 | ISSN: 0794-800X (print); 1596-2431 (online)