Short Communication
Chanvik Ali
Abstract
Branches led to isolation of the flavonoid glycosides kaempferol 3,7-di- O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside, kaempferol 7-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside, kaempferol 3-O-apiofuranosil- 7-O- rhamnopyranoside, quercitin 3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside, quercitin 3-O-arabinofuranoside, 8-β-D- glucopyranosyl 4’,5,7 trihydroxyflavanone, the isoflavonoid 4’,7-di- hydroxy-isoflavone, the dimer epicatechin-(2β, 4β)+- epicatechin, the polyol 3-O-methyl-chiro-inositol and two steroids in sitosterol and stigmasterol mixture [22]. In 2011, Chen et al. [23] reported novel compound monotetracontane from the dry leaves of Aeschynomene indica Linn.Materials and MethodsCollection of plant materials The aerial part of A. uniflora was collected during the rainy season in September, 2012 from Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. The plant was identified in the Herbarium unit of the Department of Biological Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria; and a Voucher specimen, number 2408, was deposited in the Herbarium. The plant materials were air-dried, pulverized and stored in air-tight containers until needed for further investigation.Extraction procedure.The air-dried pulverized plant material (200 g) was placed in a Soxhlet extractor, where it was exhaustively and successively extracted using petroleum ether (60-80°C), chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol. The crude extracts of the plant were concentrated in vacuo at 40°C using a rotary evaporator. The crude extracts were subjected to phytochemical and antimicrobial studies.Phytochemical screening of the extracts was carried out using the standard procedures [7,24].The anti-microbial screeningThe anti-microbial activity of the petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate and the methanol extracts was determined using some pathogenic microbes, obtained from the Department of Medical Microbiology Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria. Each extracts (0.6 g) was weighed and dissolved in 10 ml dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) to obtain a concentration of 60 mg/ml. This initial concentration was used to determine the antimicrobial activity of the extracts. Mueller Hinton agar was the growth medium used for the microbes. The medium was prepared, sterilized at 121°C for 15 minutes and the sterilized medium was poured into sterile Petri dishes. The plates were allowed to cool and solidify. Agar diffusion method was used for screening of the extracts. The sterilized medium was seeded with 0.1 ml of the standard inoculum of the test microorganism; the inoculum was spread evenly over the surface of the medium with a sterile swab. Using a standard cork borer of 6 mm in diameter a well was cut at the center of each inoculated medium. Solution (0.1 ml) of each extracts of concentration of 60 mg/ml was then introduced into each well on the medium. The inoculated medium was then incubated at 37°C for 24 h after which each plate was observed for the zone of inhibition of growth. The zone was measured with a transparent ruler and the result recorded in millimeters