Phytochemical Screening and Antibacterial Activity of Stem Bark, Leaf and Root Extract of Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich.) Hochst

Background: Sclerocarya birrea is widely used in Nigerien communities for medicinal purposesto treat several gastrointestinal diseases including diarrhea. To lend credibility to its traditionaluse against diarrhea, laboratory studies were conducted. Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the antibacterial activity and the phytochemicalconstituents of the crude extracts of root, bark and leaf of S. birrea. Materials and Methods: The collected different plant parts were air dried, powdered andseparately extracted with ethanol and methanol. The alkaloid, flavonoid, saponin and tannincontents in all the plant parts were estimated using standard methods. The total and serially dilutedfractions of the extracts were tested for antibacterial activity against selected enteropathogens byagar well diffusion and deep-well microdilution method. Results: Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of flavonoid, saponin and tannin inall the plant extracts. The extracts from the different parts showed varied antibacterial activityagainst the test bacteria. The bark extracts showed superior activity against Escherichia coli (zoneof inhibition = 17 mm) and Salmonella typhi (zone of inhibition = 20 mm) at 200 mg/mL. Conclusion: The presence of important phytochemical groups and the antibacterial potential ofalcoholic extracts of S. birrea could permit to justify its traditional usage against diarrhea.