ANTIMICROBIAL EVALUATION OF THE POLYSACCHARIDES WAX AND FAT RICH FRACTION OF COMPOUND FROM MEDICINAL PLANTS THAT CAN BE USEFUL IN HUMAN HEALTH AGAINST BACTERIAL INFECTION

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ABSTRACT

This study investigated was focused on the antimicrobial evaluation of the polysaccharides wax and fat rich fraction of compound from medicinal plants that can be useful in human health against bacterial infection. The lack of scientific standardization for the use of some herbal preparations, as well as possible therapeutic alternatives against antibiotic resistant bacterial infections indicates a strong need for continuous effort to validate the use of plant material as alternative therapy regimens with similar or higher antibiotic beneficial properties. The probable chemical compounds present in the plant fractions were identified using Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometer analysis. Carbohydrates, saponins, flavonoids and tannins, cardiac glycosides, triterpenes, alkaloids were observed to be present. Root extract of Jatropha curcas was observed to be more effective than the stem bark and leave extracts due to its ability to inhibit all the test bacteria. It recorded the highest antibacterial activity with mean inhibition zone diameter ranging from 2.67±0.00- 15.33±0.00 mm against S. aureus with ethanolic root and 1.4±0.00-14.7±0.00 mmwith aqueous root. The aqueous root extract also recorded mean inhibition zone diameter ranging from 10.0±0.00-17.5±000 mm against Bacillus spp and 6.50±0.00-10.0 mm with ethanolic root. This study has proven the effectiveness and efficacy of Jatropha curcas in inhibiting the growth of S. aureus, E. coli, P. aeruginosa      and Bacillusspp pathogenic bacteria of clinical origin. Also, it can be ascertained the antimicrobial effects of active compounds of medicinal plants in enhancing human health and fighting bacterial infection and microbial resistance.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0     Introduction Bacteria have developed resistance to most of the currently used antibiotics, thus, making bacterial infections a major cause of mortality in the health care system (Ara, Nur, Amran, Wahid & Ahmed, 2009). There is evidence to suggest that bacterial infections are becoming difficult to treat because the pathogens are capable of developing biofilm which aids in host establishment, population expansion and in disease proliferation. More than 60% of all the human bacterial infections have been attributed to the persistence of biofilm formation by the respective bacteria. When bacteria form biofilms, the biofilm structure facilitates the survival of disease-causing pathogens even in hostile environmental conditions. It has been shown that the nature of biofilm structure and physiological attributes of biofilm forming organisms confer an inherent resistance to hostile conditions including antimicrobial agents such as antibiotics (Suci, Mittelman, Yu & Geesey, 2014). Hence, there is need to develop new antibacterial agents which can inhibit formation or destroy the mature biofilms and thus, increasing susceptibility of microbes to antibiotics.