ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF VERNONIA AMYGDALINA AND CARICA PAPAYA AGAINST SOME PATHOGENIC BACTERIA

ABSTRACT

The ethanol extracts of vernonia amyadalina and carica papaya leaves were tested against selected test organisms usin agar dilution method for determining and evaluating their antimicrobial activities. The test organisms used were staphylococcus aureus ATCC25923, Escherichia coli, ATCC 25922, enterococcus faecalis ATCC 7080 and salmonella typhi. The ethanol extract of vernonia amyadalina and carica papaya showed stron inhibition at 10,000µg­/ml against s.areus ATCC25923 and E.faecalis ATCC7080 while for e.coli plants revealed the presence of  saponins, tannins, flavonoids. The result of antibacterial assay, minimum inhibitory concentration (mic ) and minimum bacterial concentration (mbc) showed that the ethanol extracts from the plant possess significant level of antibacterial activities at varied concentrations against the test organisms, the extract of vernonia amygadalina had minimum inhibitory concentration range between 100ug/ml to 4000ug/ml against three of the test organisms and minimum bactericidal concentration ranged between 2000ug/ml to 5000ug/ml, while the extract of the carica papaya had minimum infibitory concentration range 9000ug/ml against three organisms and minimum bactericidal concentration ranged between 2000ug/ml to 10000ug/ml. the results of the work suggest that the ethanol leaves extract of vernonia amygdalina and carica papaya possess broad spectrum of antibacterial activities. The results validates the ethnomedicinal uses of these plants.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title page                                                                                                                    i

Certification                                                                                                               ii

Dedication                                                                                                                  iii

Acknowledgement                                                                                                      iv

Table of content                                                                                                          v

List of Tables                                                                                                              vii

List of plates                  viii

Abstract                                                                                                  ix

CHAPTER ONE

1.0       Introduction                                                                                                    1

1.2       Aims and Objectives                                                                                       2

CHAPTER TWO

2.0       Literature Review                                                                                         5

2.1       Medicinal Plants                                                                                            5

2.2       Phytomedicine                                                                                                7

2.3       Review Of Some Phytochemicals                                                         8

2.4     Ethnopharmacognotic Profile Of The Test Plants                         11

  2.4.1  Vernonia amygdalina                                                                  11

2.4.1.1   Pharmacology Of Vernonia amygdalina                                  12

2.4.2  Carica papaya                                                                              14

2.4.2.1  Pharmacology of Carica papaya                                               15       

CHAPTER THREE

3.0  Materials and methods                                                                                         17

3.1 Collection of Plant Materials                                                                               17

3.2   Preparation of the Plant Material                                                                     19

3.3      Extraction   Procedure                                                                                   19       

3.4      Source and Maintenance of Test Organisms                                                 20

3.5.     Preparation of Stock  Solution of Extract                                                      20

3.6      Agar Dilution Susceptibility Testing                                                             21

3.7      Minimum Inhibitory Concentration                                                              22

3.8      Qualitative Phytochemical Screening                                                           23

 CHAPTER FOUR

4.0 RESULTS                                                                                                          25-31

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0      DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION                                    32

5.1 Discussion                                                                                                                      32

5.2 Conclusion                                                                                                                    34

5.3 Recommendations                                                                                                         35

REFERENCES

LIST OF TABLES

Table                 Title                                                                          Page

1          Susceptibility of the test organisms to various concentration of

ethanol extracts of V.amygdalina and Carica papaya                                               21                   

2          MIC and MBC values of susceptible organisms to the extracts of  

V.amygdalina                                                                                                               22                                                      

3           MIC and MBC values of susceptible organisms to the extracts of

 Carica papaya                                                                                                           23

4       Qualitative Phytochemical screening of the plant leaves                               24                                                                                           

LIST OF PLATES 

Plates               Title                                                    page

Vernonia amygdalina

Carica papaya

Zone of inhibition created by the two plants

CHAPTER ONE

1.1     INTRODUCTION

The connection between man and his search for drugs in nature dates from the far past, it is well known that nature holds many secrets, however since ancient times, man have learnt some of these secrets. Among the most useful ones were those related to how medicinal plants could heal and ameliorate diseases. Awareness of medicinal plants usage is a result of the many years of struggle against illnesses due to which man learned to pursue drugs in barks, seeds, fruit bodies and other parts of plants. The importance of herbs in the management of human ailments cannot be over emphasized, it is clear that the plant kingdom harbours an inexhaustible source of active ingredients valuable in the management of many intractable diseases. Futhermore, the active components of herbal remedies have the advantage of being combined with other substances that appear to be inactive. However, these complementary components give the plant as a whole safety and efficiency much superior to that of its isolated and pure active components (Ahmad, 2001).

The non-availability and high cost of new generational antibiotics with limited effective span, have resulted in an increase in morbidity and mortality (Williams, 2000). This has lead to the search for newer, more effective, affordable and readily available sources in particular from local medicinal plants (herbs). The use of medicinal plants predates the introduction of antibiotics and other modern drugs into the African continent; it is assumed that there is no plant that does not have medicinal value. The active components are normally extracted from all plant structures, but the concentrations of these components vary from structure to structure. However, parts known to contain the highest concentration of active components are preferred           for      therapeutic purposes and it can either be the leaves, stems, barks, roots, corms, rhizomes, woods, flowers, fruits or the seeds (Kafaru, 1994).

The active components singly or in combination inhibit greatly the life processes of microbes, especially pathogenic microbes such as Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabillis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In indigenous system of medicine about 1,500 plants are used systematically, however today Botanists, Microbiologists, Ethnopharmacologists and Natural product chemists over the world are researching on the discovery of new therapeutic substances of natural origin with possible low or no toxicity to human, animals and the environment. In Nigeria over 300 plants are used for treating various diseases including HIV/AIDS, Opportunistic infections such as Pneumonia, Diarrhea, Typhoid fever, Tuberculosis, Candidiasis and other ailments (Enwereji, 2008). About 75-80% of drugs are derived from plants, and the major part of traditional therapy involves the use of plant extract and their active constituents. This evidently proves that herbal medicine is still the mainstay of the whole population (Akerele, 1993).

Vernonia amygdalina and Carica papaya leaves were used for this research work. Their use is as old as civilization; they have been used as popular folk medicine. They are accessible, cheap, affordable, available and sustainable. They are herbaceous plants and have been used to treat various skin disorders, gastrointestinal problems, malaria, hepatitis, diabetes and are believed to be effective in treating stomach ailments. It has also been alleged that sap from Carica papaya, papain posses antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti inflammatory activities, it is reported to heal chronic ulcer (Shivananda Nayak et al., 2007).

1.2     AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

·      This research work is aimed at evaluating and determining the antimicrobial activity of the ethanol extract of the leaves of Vernonia amygdalina and Carica papaya against the selected test organisms.

·      To determine the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration of the extracts against the test organisms.

·      To screen the leaves of Vernonia amygdalina and Carica papaya for phytochemical constituents.

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