African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 5 (19), pp. 1789-1791, 2 October 2006   

ISSN 1684–5315 © 2006 Academic Journals        

Short Communication

Phytochemical and antimicrobial studies on the leaves and stem of Desmodium scorpiurus Der (sw)

Ndukwe I. G.*, Habila J. D. Bello I. A and Okoh J. I.

Department of Chemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.

*Corresponding Author. E-mail: ndukweilogeorge@yahoo.com

Accepted 25 August, 2006

Phytochemical studies on the aerial parts of Desmodium scorpiurus Der (sw) revealed the presence of alkaloids, saponins, glycosides, steroids and carbohydrates. The petroleum spirit, chloroform and methanol extracts were screened for antimicrobial activity using clinical isolates of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Bacillus cereus, Streptococcus pyrogenes and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The results showed that the plant is very active against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Streptococcus pyrogenes with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 2 x 10² mg/ml.

Key words: Desmodium scorpiurus, crude extracts, antimicrobial activity, MIC.