Growth Inhibitory Effects of Solvent Extracts of Selected Plants on ß-Lactamase Producing Bacteria

Abstract

Components of the stem-barks and stem of four different plants, reputed to be medicinal in Northern Nigeria in the treatment of genitourinary tract infections were extracted using 95% ethanol. Ethanol extracts obtained from parts of plants were partitioned using chloroform, distilled water, ethyl acetate, methanol and petroleum ether solvents of varying polarity indices in to fractions which were later screened together with saved ethanol extracts against ß-lactamase producing bacteria that have demonstrated some resistance to ß-lactam antibiotics. The screened extracts and fractions of both the stem-barks and stem of Butyrospermum parkii, Kigelia pinnata and Maytenus senegalensis inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris and Klebsiella pneumonia which are causative agents of genitourinary tract infections in the paper disk-plate method employed in the investigation. This finding is in support of the ethno-medicinal uses of these plants. On a contrary, the ethanol extract of the stem of Anogeissus leiocarpus showed no growth inhibition on the five bacterial isolates.