Preliminary Phytochemical and Antibacterial Screening of Methanolic Leaf Extract of Citrus aurantifolia

The phytochemical constituents and antibacterial effects of the methanolic leaf extract of Citrus aurantifolia were evaluated in the present study. The samples were collected from the Sudan, Khartoum province. Methanol was used as the solvent for extract preparation, which was further, implemented for antibacterial and phytochemical assays. The in vitro antibacterial activity assay was performed by agar disc diffusion method. The results showed that the methanolic leaf extracts possessed significant antibacterial activity against Bacillus cereus ATCC 10876 (referenced strain). Other strains used were multi-drug resistant clinical isolates (Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumonia). The results showed weak or no susceptibility against the leaf extract, and were found statistically insignificant. The preliminary phytochemical screening of the extract revealed the presence of bioactive agents such as saponins, phenolic compounds and anthraquinones. Further chemical and microbiological characterization is imperative to completely assess the nature and mode of action of the antibacterial compounds and phytochemical constituents of the leaves of Citrus aurantifolia.