PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF LANTANA CAMARA LEAVES AGAINST BACTERIA ISOLATED FROM EPICARP OF SOLANUM MELONGENA (GARDEN EGG)

Abstract

This research was aimed at testing the antibacterial properties of Lantana camara plant leaves extracts against the bacteria isolated from the epicarp of an unwashed garden egg Solanum melongena fruit. Qualitative phytochemical screening of the plant leaves shows that the plant possesses Tannin, Saponin, Glycosides and Reducing sugar, while Anthraquinones, Alkaloid were absent in all the various extracts used. Three different types of bacteria were isolated from the epicarp of the unwashed fruit sample; they include Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus spp. The minimum inhibitory concentration of the leaf extracts on Pseudomonas aeruginosa were 12mg/mL for the methanolic extract and 48mg/mL for the ethanolic extract. The minimum inhibitory concentration on Streptococcus spp. was 8mg/mL for the methanolic extract and 4 mg/mL for ethanolic extract, while the minimum inhibitory concentration on Staphylococcus aureus was 25 mg/mL for the methanolic extract and 7 mg/mL for the ethanolic extract. Methanolic extracts have the highest activity on Staphylococcus aureus at 8 mg/mL, followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa at12 mg/mL and the least was on Streptococcus spp. at 25 mg/mL. While with ethanolic extracts, the highest activity was on Streptococcus spp. at 4 mg/mL followed by Staphylococcus aureus at 7 mg/mL and the least was on Pseudomonas aeruginosa at 48 mg/mL. Therefore, Lantana camara leaves contain bioactive compounds believe to have a bactericidal effect at various concentrations species wise.