Phytochemical and antimicrobial activity of Ceiba pentandra against some pathogenic bacteria

Abstract

Many plant ingredients used in traditional medicine are widely available in rural regions, making it cheaper than modern medication. Several secondary metabolites from plants are used to make microbiocides, insecticides, and pharmaceuticals.  Ceiba pentandra grows natively in equatorial Africa and other humid tropics, including Nigeria. The agar diffusion method was used to test ethyl acetate, ethanol, and C. pentandra leaf extract against clinical isolates of S. aureus, P. vulgaris, E. coli, and K. pneumoniae. All extracts were antibacterial against test organisms. K. pneumoniae was most vulnerable to plant extracts, and E. coli was most resistant. The plant extracts had a minimum inhibitory concentration of 15 µg/ml to 30 µg/ml against the test organisms. The minimum bactericidal concentrations of extracts ranged from 15 to 35 µg/ml. The ethyl acetate leaf extract of C. pentandra was more efficient than the aqueous or ethanol extract against all test microorganisms. The data may indicate that plant extracts are antibacterial.