EVALUATION OF THE ANTI-FUNGAL PROPERTIES OF EXTRACTS OF Daniella oliveri

The in vitro anti-fungal activity of leaf and stem bark of Daniella oliveri Rolfe was investigated against selected yeasts and moulds including dermatophytes. Water and methanol were used to extract the powdered leaf and stem bark using cold infusion. Antimicrobial activity was assessed by agar-well diffusion. Phytochemical analysis was carried out using standard procedures. The plant extracts were active against the test organisms at concentrations ranging from 3.125-100 mg/mL. The methanol extracts were more active than the aqueous extracts with the highest inhibition against the yeasts, Candida albicans and Candida krusei (MIC values of 3.125 mg/mL and 6.25 mg/mL respectively). Epidermophyton floccosum and Trichophyton interdigitale were the least inhibited of all the fungal strains. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of tannins, anthraquinones, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, alkaloids and saponins. The anti-fungal activity of Daniella oliveri as shown in this study indicates that the plant has the potential of utilisation in the development of chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of relevant fungal infections.

GC-MS Analysis, Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of Extracts of the Aerial Parts of Conyza sumatrensis

Phytochemical analyses as well as antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the extracts of C. sumatrensis aerial parts were investigated in this study. METHODS: The aerial parts of C. sumatrensis were air dried, weighed and exhaustively extracted with hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol successively. The crude extracts were screened for metabolites. These extracts of the plant were evaluated for antimicrobial and antioxidant activities using agar diffusion and DPPH method respectively. The extracts were also analysed using Gas chromatography – Mass spectrometry, and the chromatogram coupled with mass spectra of the compounds were matched with a standard library. RESULTS: Preliminary phytochemical investigation of crude n-hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of the aerial parts of Conyza sumatrensis revealed the presence of anthraquinones, flavonoids, terpenoids, phenolics, tannin, glycosides and carbohydrate. All the crude extracts gave a clear zone of inhibition against the growth of the test bacteria ( Staphylococcus aureus , Escherichia coli , Bacillus subtilis , Pseudomona aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi , Klebsiellae pneumonae ) at moderate to high concentrations, as well as test fungi ( Candida albicans , Aspergillus niger , penicillium notatum and Rhizopus stolonifer ) at high concentration. Methanolic extract exhibited significant radical scavenging property with IC50 of 17.08 μg/mL while n-hexane and ethyl acetate extracts showed no significant antioxidant activity. GC-MS of N-hexane extract showed a total number of eleven chemical constituents with α-Farnesene and spathulenol being the most abundance compounds constituting 20.27 and 22.28% of the extract respectively. Ethyl acetate extract revealed thirteen compounds with two most abundant compounds, cis-β-farnesene (16.64 %) and cis-pinane (21.09 %). While methanolic extract affords seventeen compounds with Ephytol being the most abundant compound (19.36 %).