PHARMACOGNOSTIC, ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTIMICROBIAL EVALUATION OF FRACTIONS OF THE STEM BARK OF ALBIZIA ZYGIA BENTH (FABACEAE)
Tavs A Abere 1 ⃰, Precious A. Chiazor 1, Godfrey E. Umhenin
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Benin, Benin City. PMB 1154, Nigeria
- Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Benin, Benin City. PMB 1154, Nigeria.
Afr. J Pharm Res Dev; Volume 7(2): 57-65; Nov/Dec 2015
ABSTRACT
The stem barks of Albizia zygia Benth (Fabaceae) are used in ethnomedicine for the management and treatment of various infectious diseases. This study was aimed at investigating the pharmacognostic, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the plant to aid standardization and continuous usage. Evaluation of fresh and powdered sections of the stem bark was carried out to determine Pharmacognostic profile. Chemical tests were employed in phytochemical investigations. The antioxidant activities were carried out using DPPH radical scavenging method. The polyphenolic contents were also evaluated. Inhibitory activity of the crude methanol extract and fractions against clinical strains of Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella aerogenes, Candida albicans and Candida parasilopsis were compared with ciprofloxacin and nystatin for bacteria and fungi respectively. Pharmacognostic data which can aid sample identification are provided. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, and saponins. The fractions showed significant antioxidant activity when compared to the standard with n-butanol fraction having the highest activity. The crude methanol extract and the fractions inhibited the growth of E. coli, B. subtilis, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, C. albicans and C. parasilopsis to varying degrees, except the aqueous fraction that was devoid of activity. Extract and fractions of A. zygia have demonstrated antimicrobial activity against clinical strains of selected microorganisms and showed significant antioxidant activity. These results showed that A. zygia has a role in the treatment of infectious diseases
*Author for correspondence: eseabere@yahoo.com