PHYTOCHEMICAL AND ANTIMICROBIAL STUDIES OF N- HEXANE FRACTION OF THE CRUDE METHANOL EXTRACT OF THE LEAVES OF CISSUS POLYANTHA (VITACEAE)
Sani YM1, Musa AM 1, Atiku I1, Abdullahi MS2, Hanwa UA2, Pateh UU1, Haruna AK1 and Abubakar SN4
1Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
2Nigeria.National Research Institute for Chemical Technology, Zaria
3Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
May-June 2015; Vol. 7 (issue 1): 1-5
ABSTRACT
The n- Hexane fraction of the crude methanol extract of the leaves of Cissus polyantha (family: Vitaceae) used in traditional medicine for the treatment of conjunctivitis and inflammatory condition was evaluated for its phytochemical constituents and antimicrobial activity. The antimicrobial activity was studied using cup plate agar diffusion and broth dilution techniques and the organisms tested are: Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Corynebacterium ulcerans, Shigella dysenteriae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Candida albicans, Candida krusei, Candida tropicalis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of steroids, triterpenes and flavonoids. The results of the antimicrobial susceptibility test showed that the fraction had activity against all the organisms tested (zone of inhibition 15-19 mm) with the exception of Corynebacterium ulcerans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida tropicalis. The activity was found to be comparable to that of Sparfloxacin 5 μ /disc [a standard antibiotic] and Griseofulvin100 unit /disc [a standard anti-fungal]. This study showed the potential of n-hexane fraction of the methanol extract of Cissus polyantha as a source of antimicrobial agents.
KEYWORDS: antimicrobial, Cissuspolyantha, agar well diffusion method, phytochemical.