PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF Vernonia amygdalina AND Ocimum gratissimum EXTRACTS AND THEIR ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY ON SOME DRUG RESISTANT BACTERIA

The Phytochemical analysis and antibacterial activity of Ocimum gratissimum (scent leaf) and Vernonia amygdalina (bitter leaf) extracts was carried and it showed that the extracts had antibacterial effects on some drug resistant bacteria. The antibacterial properties of O. gratissimum and V. amygdalina was determined and tested against pure cultures of clinical isolates of Stphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. Water and ethanol were used for the plants’ active constituents’ extraction. The method used was Agar diffusion method to determine the antibacterial effects of both plant extract on the test organisms. Phytochemical analysis of O. gratissimum and V. amygdalina (bitter leaf) revealed that it contains bioactive compounds which include: oxalate, phylate, tannins, saponins, flavonoid, cyanogenic glycosides, alkaloids, anthraquinone, steroid and phenol. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of water and ethanol extracts on the test organisms ranged between 25µl/ml – 50µl/ml. Similarly, the zone of inhibition of the plant extract diameters at concentration of 100µl/ml ranged between 7.5 – 5.0mm and 11.5 – 7.0mm for water and ethanol extracts respectively on the test organisms. Water extract of V. amygdalina was more effective on Pseudomonas aeruginosa than that of O. gratissimum, also ethanolic extract of O. gratissimum was more effective than ethanolic extract of V. amygdalina on the same bacteria. These extracts showed zones of inhibition higher than some