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Evaluation of larvicidal and antimicrobial potential of <i>Dacryodes edulis</i> G. Don; H. J. Lam. (Burseraceae)


OH Oladimeji
R Nia
E Nyong
N Kalu

Abstract

Dacryodes edulis (Burseraceae) is an herbal recipe used in the treatment and or management of earache, fever and headache in ethno-medicine. However, its use in malaria control at the larval stage is yet to be investigated. Hence the larvicidal and anti-microbial studies were undertaken. The larvicidal assay determined in terms of percentage mortality showed that both the crude extracts of the leaves and stem gave remarkably good larvicidal activity (LA%) of 50% and 70% (at 5%w/v) and 70% and 90% ; 80% and 100% (at 10%w/v) at 12 and 24h incubation respectively. However, the larvicidal activity afforded by the crude extract of roots was comparably weaker. The extracts of the leaves and stem inhibited the growth of B. subtilis and S. aureus while only the leaf extract was active against S. typhi and K .pneumoniae. Also, the hexane fraction of the leaves demonstrated remarkable activity against B. subtilis, S .aureus, S. typhi and K .pneumoniae. The chloroform and butanol fractions were inactive. Neither the extracts nor the fractions showed any activities against the fungal isolates tested. The results obtained in this present study have lent scientific justification to some of the uses of the plant in ethno-medicine.

Keywords: Anti-microbial; larvicidal; extracts; fractions; Dacryodes edulis.


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