Antimicrobial Activity of Petroleum Ether, Ethylacetatate and Methanolic Fraction of Five Sudanese Medicinal Plant

Abstract

Five medicinal plants (Acanthospermum hispidum, Achyranthus aspera, Ambrosia maritima, Combretum hartmannianum and Commiphora myrrh) were shade dried, grinded and extracted with different solvents according to the increasing polarity, petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and Methanol. All the dried extract were tested for their antimicrobial activity against four standard strains, two Gram positive Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, and two Gram negative bacterial strains Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and against two fungal strains Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans. in vitro, using the agar well diffusion method. The crude extracts showed varying level of bactericidal activity at the higher cocentration (100 mg/well). The highest antibacterial activity was found in methanolic extracts and lowest in the petroleum ether fraction. Combretum hartmannianum showed broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity, and produced the highest zone of inhibition against all the tested Gram-negative and Gramposivive bacteria, with maximum activity observed against Bacillus subtilis (IZ = 35 mm). Other plant crude extracts were active against different bacterial strains. The methanolic, ethyl acetate and petroleum ether fraction of C. hartmannianum are suitable candidates for the development of novel antibacterial herbal formulation. Photochemical screening of methanolic extracts of C. hartmannianum was performed for the various constituents: flavonoids, saponins, tannins, alkaloids, essential oils and terpens. The results of TLC analysis of C. hartmannianum extracts were shown as R f values for saponins, essential oils, flavonoids and tannins.