Vol. 2, Issue 8 (2013)

Author(s):
John Dike N Ogbonna, Benjamin Ebere Ezema, Chiamaka Peace Obimma, Matthias Onyebuchi Agbo.

Abstract:
The leaves of Loranthus micranthus (Linn.) parasitic on Alstonia boonei were extracted with methanol by cold maceration method. The extract was purified further by column chromatographic technique with n-hexane and chloroform respectively. The extract was investigated for phytochemical constituents while the antimicrobial study of the n-hexane and chloroform fractions were evaluated using Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.The phytochemical study showed tannins, alkaloids, steroids and terpenoids to be moderately present while glycosides, flavonoids and saponins are fairly present. The antimicrobial study of the n-hexane and chloroform fractions showed activities on both bacteria. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the n-hexane fraction was 12.42 and 0.49 mg/ml against E. coli and Staph. aureus respectively while the MIC of the chloroform fraction was 23.82 and 0.09 mg/ml against E. coli and Staph. aureus respectively.