ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF ETHANOL EXTRACT OF STRYCHNOS SPINOSA LEAVES

The present study determined the antimicrobial activity of the leaf extract of strychnosspinosa. Four extracts were extracted from the leaf of the plant: ethanol, ethylacetate, acetone and chloroform. Phytochemical screening and agar well diffusion methods were employed,Phenols was the phytochemical determined due to its vasatile biological activities. Pseudomonas aeriuginosa, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi and Staphylococcus aureus were the test microorganisms used. Ampicilline and tetracycline were the controls. Ethanolic extract indicated promising antimicrobial activity at 10 mg/cm3 and 100 mg/cm3 against the tested microorganisms near the controls. These may likely be as a result of the high concentration of phenols in the ethanolic extract. Strychnosspinosa leaf ethanol extract could be a good option for antimicrobial drug development.