Antimicrobial effects of Jatropha curcas sap and leaf extracts on Bacillus subtilis

Abstract

Extracts of fresh, dry leaves and sap of

Jatropha curcas  were  screened for in vitro antibacterial and antifungal properties. Methanolic and aqueous extracts of each of fresh, dry leaves and sap were screened using 3 gram negative, 3 gram positive bacteria and a fungus, which are all clinical strains of human pathogenic microorganism. Cotrimoxazole was used as a standard reference drug while methanol was used as a negative control. The extracts exhibited various degrees of activity in both bioassays at concentrations of 10, 20, 40 and 80mg/ml, respectively. Mean diameters of zones of inhibition for the five extracts and drug ranged from 14.2mm to 32.2mm while the Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) ranged from 0.004mg/ml to 1.00 mg/ml. This study showed that extracts of Jatropha curcas  have potential for use in antibacterial and antifungal preparations for a wide range of infections