Antibacterial and antifungal evaluation of hydroethanol extracts of the leaves and fruits (with seeds and without seeds) of Xylopia aethiopica

Background: Medicinal plants and their extracts are often used as folk medicine in developing countries for the management and/or prevention of diseases. This study evaluated the antimicrobial activities of the hydroethanol extracts of the leaves, fruits with seeds, and fruits without seeds of Xylopia aethiopica against clinical isolates. Materials and Methods: The antibacterial and antifungal evaluation of the hydroethanol extracts of the leaves and fruits (with seeds and without seeds) of Xylopia aethiopoica was done, using clinically isolated strains of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans, Mucor indicus , and Rhizopus nigricans , gotten from a tertiary teaching hospital, were exposed to varying concentrations of the extracts using the agar well diffusion method. Results: The hydroethanol extract of the leaves of X. aethiopica had no antibacterial effect at 50 mg/mL but inhibited the growth of E. coli and S . aureus at 100 mg/mL, 150 mg/mL, and 200 mg/mL concentrations, respectively. That of the fruits with seeds inhibited the growth of E. coli and P. aeruginosa at the different concentrations used in this study in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, the fruits without seeds were effective against only S. aureus at 100 mg/mL, 150 mg/mL, and 200 mg/mL concentrations. However, the hydroethanol extracts of the three plant parts at the concentrations used had no antifungal activity. Conclusion: The hydroethanol extracts of the three plant parts used in this research exhibited antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The extract has the potential in combating drug-resistant bacterial and formulation of new antimicrobial agents.