ANTIBACTERIAL, PHYTOCHEMICAL AND ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF CNESTIS FERRUGINEA DC (CONNARACEAE) EXTRACTS

To evaluate the health relevance of decoctions, infusions and concoction of medicinal plants in traditional medicine, antibacterial efficacy of crude aqueous, ethanol and petroleum ether extracts of Cnestis ferruginea leaf, stem bark and roots were assayed against nine clinical bacterial isolates namely Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacillus cereus, Shigalla dysenteriae, Campylobacter jejunum, a -hemolytic group A streptococcus, and Salmonella enterica ser.Typhi by agar well diffusion method. The leaf extracts had higher inhibitory effects at various degrees than the stem bark and root extracts. Chemical methods were used to determine the quality and quantity of phytochemical components where alkaloids, flavonoids, saponin, tannins, phenol and cardinolides were found present. The antioxidant activities of the extracts of the plant tested were determined by a spectrophotometric method using the stable free radical DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl). Considerable antioxidant activities were found in the plant extracts. C. ferruginea contains bioactive principles necessary for bacteria inhibition and therefore, the powder could be used as preservative, beverage and source of novel drug(s).