FUW TRENDS IN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(A Peer Review Journal)
e–ISSN: 2408–5162; p–ISSN: 2048–5170
keywords: Alchornea cordifolia, antimicrobial, phytochemistry, plant extract, stomach disorders
Alchornea cordifolia (Schum. & Thonn.) Muel. Arg. is used by traditional medicine practitioners in Nigeria to treat stomach disorders, diarrhoea, skin infections (wound healing), ear infections, and eye defects. To evaluate these claims, 100 mg/ml concentration of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the leaves, stem and male inflorescence of A. cordifolia were screened for antimicrobial properties against two bacteria (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus) and two fungi (Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma viride). The Disc Assay Method was used for antifungal screening while Agar Well Method was used for antibacterial screening. Each plant part was subjected to qualitative phytochemical screening using standard methods. The plant parts showed higher inhibitory activities against the test bacteria than the fungi. Their ethanolic extracts were more potent than their aqueous extracts. T. viride was the most resistant organism whereby only the ethanolic extracts showed inhibitory effect. Leaf ethanolic extract showed the highest inhibitory activity against all tested pathogens; its inhibitory activity against E. coli (19.01 ± 0.08 mm) was higher than the control Tetracycline (18.92 ± 0.02 mm). Phytochemical screening revealed that all three plant parts have alkaloids, tannins, anthraquinones, saponins, flavonoids, terpenoids, carbohydrates, glycosides, and reducing sugars. Pentose sugars were absent in all plant parts while steroids were present only in the leaves. Therefore, the ethanolic extracts of all the plant parts should be subjected to further investigation and isolation of their antimicrobial compounds.
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