Antimicrobial, Phytochemical and Proximate Analysis of Four Nigerian Medicinal Plants on some Clinical Microorganisms

The increasing incidence of resistance to antibiotics among bacteria currently poses serious clinical and public health threat and has propelled efforts for newer alternatives to alleviate the problem. Extensive search and testing for different plants with potentials for antimicrobial properties is presently considered one of the most feasible options as substitutes to the current regimen of antimicrobials. We tested the antibacterial characteristic and the phytochemical composition of four candidates: Momordica balsamina, Pavetta crassipes, Phyllanthus amarus and Aloe vera. Extractions were carried out using distilled water, ethanol, ethyl acetate and hexane. Generally, all extracts showed considerable antibacterial properties against Salmonella typhi, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Antibacterial activities for each extract of the plants increased with increasing concentration. The aqueous and ethanolic extracts showed the highest antibacterial activity while hexane extracts showed the least activity against the test organisms. The plants contained essential phytochemicals and minerals were detected except lead. This study further confirmed the antimicrobial activity of these plants and efforts should be intensified in the search for novel plants with medicinal and antimicrobial potentials.