E3 Journal of Scientific Research

E3 Journal of Scientific Research Vol. 4 (1) pp. 001-010, April 2016; © E3 Journals; ISSN 2276-9919

Phytochemical analysis and antimicrobial evaluation of the extracts of the Root Bark and Rachis of Parkia biglobosa (Jacq.) Benth. on some human Pathogens

Abstract

Various researches on the antimicrobial properties of herbal drugs are on-going due to recent reports of increase in development of resistance to synthetic drugs by pathogenic microorganisms. The aim of this work is to find the antimicrobial properties of the extract from the root bark and rachis of Parkia biglobosa using ethanol, petroleum ether, hexane and water. Filtered samples were tested on the following selected human pathogenic bacteria: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus mirabilis and Escherichia coli. Agar well diffusion technique was employed. Ethanol extracts of the root bark and rachis were observed to have antimicrobial properties on all the gram positive bacteria at minimum inhibitory concentration of 40mg/ml while hexane extract of the rachis had effect on only Klebsiella pneumoniae and at 40mg/ml. The phytochemical screening revealed that the root bark was richer in alkaloids, saponins, tannins, phlobatannins, flavonoids, terpenoids, steroids, cardiac glycosides and anthraquinonones. Anthraquinonones could not be extracted from the rachis of Parkia biglobosa by any of the solvents.

Keywords: Parkia biglobosa, root bark extract, rachis extract, Minimum Inhibitory Concentration, phytochemicals