FUW TRENDS IN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(A Peer Review Journal)
e–ISSN: 2408–5162; p–ISSN: 2048–5170
keywords: Antimicrobial activity, Commiphora africana root, crude extract, fractionation, phytochemicals
Commiphora africana is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various ailments by the natives of northern Nigeria. The air-dried roots were extracted with 95% ethanol using a Soxhlet apparatus to obtain a crude extract. The crude extract obtained was successively partitioned into alkaloid, acid, polar and non-polar fractions. The crude extract and the different fractions were evaluated for phytochemicals and antimicrobial activity. The result of the preliminary phytochemical screening of the crude extract showed that saponins, tannins, reducing sugars, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, triterpenoids, alkaloids and carbohydrates were detected in the root. The antimicrobial activity of the crude and different fractions was determined against some commercially important microorganisms. The crude extract and fractions exhibited characteristic strong concentration-dependent activity (CDA) against the test organisms, with zones of inhibition of 11-33 mm depending on the concentrations. The result of this study confirmed the documented records of traditional medicinal uses of Commiphora africana root.
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