COMPARATIVE In vitro ANTIBACTERIAL SUSCEPTIBILITY SCREENING AND PHYTOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF THE METHANOLIC SOLVENT EXTRACTIONS OF Annona muricata LEAVES AND ROOTS ON SOME CLINICAL ISOLATES

Some authors have documented reports on the phytochemical screening and antibacterial assays on Annona muricata leaves and roots extract however, none of the assays portrayed an evidence-based antibacterial susceptibility on sensitive pathogenic microbial strains. The methanolic solvent fractions of the leaves and roots extracts of A. muricata of the family Annonaceae was investigated for in vitro antibacterial susceptibility and phytochemical properties on some clinical isolates. These were carried out using standard procedures. The methanolic extraction (70% v/v) of the pulverized A. muricata leaves and roots gave yields of 13.4% (40.2g) and 10.6% (31.6g) respectively. The phytochemical screening showed the presence of steroidal aglycones, cardiac glycosides, alkaloids, phenols, flavonoids, saponins and tannins. The antibacterial assay demonstrated broad spectrum activity against the test microbes with comparable inhibitory zones as standard antibiotics. The MIC ranged between 5mg/ml and 9mg/ml for all the test organisms. Results from this research, showed the roots extract to have better antibacterial activity compared to the leaves extract, suggesting that the plant extracts could be a good substrate for producing a potent chemotherapeutic agent with broad spectrum antibacterial activity.