PHYTOCHEMICAL AND ANTIMICROBIAL INVESTIGATION OF ETHANOL AND METHANOL LEAVE EXTRACTS OF Bligha sapida K.D. KOENIG FAMILY SAPINDACEAE.

Blighia sapida, a perennial herbaceous plant native to Western Tropical Africa, is renowned for its edible fruit and traditional medicinal uses. This work aimed at investigating the phytoconstituents composition and microbial inhibitory properties of aqueous ethanol and aqueous methanol extracts of Blighia sapida leaves. The leaves were collected, authenticated and extracted using aqueous methanol and aqueous ethanol solutions. Antimicrobial assay was carried out on the extract using the agar diffusion method to assess its antibacterial and anti-fungal activity. The presence of several bioactive compounds, including alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, cardiac glycosides, tannins, and reducing sugars, was confirmed through the phytochemical analysis. Antimicrobial testing against various microorganisms, such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans, and Bacillus subtilis, showed that the methanol extract of the leaves of B. sapida was effective in hindering the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis, with a similar result to the ethanol extract at higher concentrations. Both extracts were ineffective against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and the fungal strains used in this study. The Blighia sapida extracts showed no antifungal activity compared to Nystatin, which inhibited Candida albicans. Levofloxacin, a standard antibacterial agent, exhibited greater inhibition zones against the tested bacteria, revealing a higher antimicrobial activity than Blighia sapida extracts. However, unlike plant extracts, it showed no inhibition against Bacillus subtilis. Blighia sapida has potential as a source of natural antibacterial agents against specific bacteria, but further research is needed to isolate active components and understand their mechanisms.