Croton zambesicus Muell Arg. (Euphorbiaceae) syn C. amabilis Muell. Arg.; syn. C. gratissimus Burch is an ornamental tree grown in villages and towns of Nigeria. It is a Guineo-Congolese species widely spread in tropical Africa. The leaf decoction is used in Benin as antihypertensive and antimicrobial (urinary infections). [1] The Ibibios in Uruan area of Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria use the leaf traditionally as a remedy for malaria. Block et al reported that ent-trachyloban-3ß-ol, a trachylobane diterpene, isolated from dichloromethane extract of the leaves has cytotoxic activity on HeLa cells. [2] The alkaloidal fractions of the leaf have been reported to possess weak activity against Kelebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillis megaterium, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Aspergillus niger, Microsporum species and Penicillium species. [3] The alkaloidal fractions of the stem have also been reported to be active against all microorganisms mentioned above. [3] The essential oil found in the leaves contains Pcymene, linalool and beta-caryophyllene. [4] The constituents
Dacryodes edulis is a dioecious, small to medium-sized tree, reaching 20 to 25 m high. Different parts of the plant are used to treat many diseases including skin infections, digestive tract disorder and dysentery. The leaves were macerated in 50% ethanol and the liquid extract concentrated to dryness. The dry extract was evaluated for antibacterial activity by using agar diffusion method. The extract was partitioned between water, ethyl acetate and butanol successively and further subjected to antibacterial testing. The most active fraction, ethyl acetate fraction, was purified through various chromatographic methods to obtain pure compounds identified by spectroscopic methods as ethylgallate and quercitrin. These compounds gave good antibacterial effects, while the minimum inhibitory concentrations of the fractions and the pure compounds ranged between 12.5 and 250 µg/ml. These phenolic compounds are reported for the first time in this plant.
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