Full Length Research Paper

Antibacterial activity of extracts of Alchornea cordifolia (Schum and Thonn) Mull.Arg., Boerhavia diffusa (L)and Bridellia micranthaI (Hoscht) Baill. used in traditional medicine in Nigeria on Helicobacter pylori and four diarrhoeagenic bacterial pathogens

I. Adeleye Adeyemi¹*, A. Ezekiel Omonigbehin², Smith Stella², Odusola Oluwatosin¹ and Sobande Jumoke³

¹Department of Botany and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, University of Lagos.

²Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, 6, Education Crescent, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria.

³Department of Science and Technology, School of Applied Sciences, Yaba College of Technology.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: adeyemi21@yahoo.com. Tel: 234-230-22412.

Accepted 9 September, 2008

Extracts of leaves of Alchornea cordifolia, Boerhavia diffusa and Bridellia micrantha were investigated for antibacterial activity against Helicobacter pylori, Salmonella typhi, Salmonella enteritidis, Shigella flexneri and Enteroheamorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC). Results showed that the ethanolic extracts of the three plants and aqueous extracts inhibited the growth of all the organisms tested. However, the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranged between 15.6 and 31.25 mg/ml while the extracts were bacteriocidal at concentration ranging between 31.25 and 250 mg/ml. This indicates that leaf extracts of the three plants are of great potential in treating gastric ulcer and diarrhoea caused by the aforementioned bacteria.

Key words: Alchornea cordifolia, Boerhavia diffusa, Bridellia micrantha, gastric ulcer, diarrhoea.