Phytochemical and antibacterial activity of Securidaca longepedunculata on selected pathogens

Securidaca longepedunculata family Polygalaceae is a tropically distributed medicinal plant. Antibacterial activity of chloroform, methanol and aqueous extracts of the roots and leaves of the plant against some selected microorganisms were shown using standard Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. The plants extracts showed inhibitory activity against the tested organisms. The diameter of zones of inhibition exhibited by all the extracts was between 15 and 20 mm. The methanol and the chloroform extracts of the leaves compared favorably with ampliclox capsule used as a standard control. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the extracts ranged from 0.591 to 6.25 mg/ml while the minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) ranged from 1.56 to 6.25 mg/ml. Chromatography of methanol and aqueous extracts of the leaves revealed two major spot. The phytochemical screening of the extracts revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, cardiac glycosides, anthraquinones, steroids, balsams and reducing sugars. The study scientifically validates the use of this plant in traditional and ethnomedicine and these extracts may be a potential source of future antibacterial drugs against enteric organisms.