Phytochemical and Antimicrobial Potential of Methanol Root Bark Extract of <i>Boswellia Dalzielii</i>

Abstract

Medicinal plants have been playing an essential role in the development of human culture as it gives man food, shelter and medicine since  antiquity. This research work aimed at screening for the presence of phytochemicals as well as evaluating the antimicrobial activity of the root bark  of Boswellia dalzielii. Fresh root bark of the plant was dried, pulverized, extracted using methanol by maceration method, screened for the  phytochemicals and evaluated the effect of the extract on some resistant pathogenic microbes using disc diffusion method. The result of the  phytochemical study revealed the presence of flavonoids, tannins, saponins, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides and Alkaloids. The susceptibility test of  root extract of B. dalzielii showed that the extract had antimicrobial effect on Klebsiella spp., Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus  pyogenes, Corynebacterium specie and Shigella dysenteriae. The antimicrobial activities presented as diameter of inhibition zones showed high activity  value in Salmonella typhi (19.67±0.00 mm) and Streptococcus pyogenes (18.00±0.00 mm) at extract concentration of 500 mg/ml, while Klebsiella spp.,   and Shigella dysenteriae were inhibited least at extract concentrations of 62.5 mg/ml. of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Basillus subtilis,  Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger were all resistant to the extract. Thus, these findings have scientifically justified the use this plant locally for  the treatment of some pathogenic related ailments and has provided a clue for the need to isolate the active ingredient(s) responsible for the  biological activity from the root of B. dalzielii.