Antimicrobial activities of total alkaloids extracted from some Nigerian medicinal plants

Abstract

The antimicrobial activity of the total alkaloids from five medicinal plants namely Jatropha curcas, Calotropis procera, Magifera indica, Carica papaya and Psidium guajava, commonly used in northern Nigeria for the treatment of various ailments was evaluated using disc diffusion assay. The extracts were used against three bacterial isolates and two fungal isolates including Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococci, Lactobacillus spp., Actinomycetes and Candida albicans, respectively. The results obtained show that all the plants contains various level of alkaloids and an appreciable level of antimicrobial activities were observed at a concentration level of 6x10 2 µg/cm 3 indicating that the plants could be a potential source of alkaloids that may be used for the treatment of various microbial diseases caused by the tested organisms.

Antidiarrhoeal Activities of Some Medicinal Plants

“…These phytocompounds were synthesized by plants to safeguard themselves against antimicrobial infections [7]. They are known to be effective against diarrhoea caused by Tripanasome and Plasmodium and possess the ability to initiate human physiological activities such as the stimulation of phargocytic cells and mediation of tumor activities [8]. In addition, the extracts of Acacia nilotica also contain Alkaloids and Steroids.…”

Efficacy of Crude Leaf Extracts of Aloe secundiflora on Selected Enteric Bacterial Pathogens and Candida albicans

“…Some of the purified components of alkaloids such as morphine and cordine have been found to be active not only against bacterial and fungal pathogens [34,35]. Other similar studies carried out on alkaloids extracted from a variety of medicinal plants have showed a great antimicrobial activity against both Gram negative and Gram negative bacteria and also showed great antifungal activity [36]. Saponins are a class of chemical compounds found in various plant species and they are amphipathic glycoside grouped structurally by having one or more hydrophilic glycosides moieties combined with lipophilic triterpine.…”

Alkaloids and phenolics biosynthesis increases mango resistance to infection by Ceratocystis fimbriata

“…Rodrigues et al (2003) investigated the ultrastructural properties of the rice-Pyricularia oryzae interaction after Si treatment and observed an abundant occurrence of empty fungal hyphae surrounded by phenolic-like compounds that were further identified as momilactones A and B (Rodrigues et al 2004). In leaves and fruits of many mango cultivars, several antimicrobial alkaloids and phenolic compounds have been identified (Ajila et al 2010;Garba and Okeniyi 2012;Kaur et al 2010;Prusky and Keen 1993;Ribeiro et al 2008), but to the best of our knowledge, they were never associated with basal or constitutive resistance against mango wilt.…”

“…Alkaloids are a large class of nitrogenous compounds found in many vascular plants; alkaloids include caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine), cocaine, morphine, nicotine and theobromine and can exhibit antimicrobial activity against pathogens (Freeman and Beattie 2008;Garba and Okeniyi 2012;Kim and Sano 2008;Mazid et al 2011;Scarpari et al 2005). Araujo et al (2015) observed that preventive spray of mango plants with acibenzolar-S-methyl and potassium phosphite reduced mango wilt development, induced microscopic defense responses to infection by C. fimbriata and potentiated the synthesis of the phenolics compounds and alkaloids such as theobromine and 7-methylxanthine.…”