PHYTOCHEMICAL AND ANTIMICROBIAL STUDIES ON THE STEM-BARK OF COMMIPHORA MOLLIS (OLIV.) ENGL. (BURSERACAEA), A RESEARCH PROJECT TOPIC ON BIOCHEMISTRY
ABSTRACT
Commiphora mollis is traditionally used in the treatment of fever (malaria and typhoid) wound healing, cancer, ulcer and rheumatic condition. The plant grows in Nigeria and across Africa. Phytochemical analysis of methanol extract of the stem-bark of Commiphora mollis showed the presence of flavonoids, saponins, tannins, terpenoids and alkaloids. Extensive Phytochemical studies of  ethylacetate   water soluble fraction of methanol extract resulted in isolation (55 fractions, 100ml each were collected and pooled together based on similarities in their TLC profile to gave 8 major fractions and repeated gel filtration chromatography of Fraction 5 on Sephadex LH-20 packed column then preparative gave 7.5 mg of compound X1) and characterization using1HNMR (9 proton signal 5 aromatic proton δ 7.0- 5.94 ppm, 2 oxymithine protons at 4.8 and 4.2 ppm and 2 methylene protons at 2.8 and 2.75 ppm), 13CNMR (15 carbon signals 12 in aromatic region, 2 oxymethine carbon and 1 methylene carbon.), DEPT (7 methine 1 methylene 1 quatenery ), 1H 1H COSY ( correlation between protons at  7.0, H2’ //  6.83, H6’    7.0, H2’  //  4.8, H2      6.83, H6’ //  4.8, H2     4.8, H2 //  4.2, H3  4.8, H2 // 2.8, H4   4.2 , H3  //  2.8, H4   ), HSQC  (correlation between proton and carbon at 7.0, H2’ // 114, C2’ 6.83, H6’ // 118.10, C6’  6.8, H5’ // 114.60, C5’  5.8, H6  // 94, C6 4.82, H2  // 78.48, C2 4.21, H3 // 66.10, C3  2.8, H4 and 2.7, H4 // 27.84, C4 ), HMBC and NOESY. The antimicrobial studies of the crude methanol extract, Chloroform and ethylacetate fractions were carried out using disc diffusion and broth agar dilution methods on clinical isolates of Corynebacterium ulcerans, Salmonella typhi, Proteus mirabilis, Bacillus sabtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogens, Escherichia coli, Candida brusei, Shigella dysenteriaeand Candida albicans. The crude methanol extract, chloroform and ethylacetate fractions showed strong inhibitory activity against all tested microoganisms with exception of Corynebacterium ulcerans, Salmonella typhi and Proteusmirabilis. Crude methanol extract was found to have MIC at 10 mg/ml for all organisms and variable value of MBC/MFC and that of chloroform and ethylacetate fractions have variable value for both MIC and MBC. The stem-bark of Commiphora mollis was rich in bioactive phytochemicals which have antimicrobial activity and could serve as a potential source of compounds effective against disease causing micro- organisms.
