Abstract

The dichloromethane, methanol and hydroethanolic extracts from leaves of Vitex donianaand stem bark of Adansonia digitata have been investigated for their antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant activities and toxicity. The antifungal activity has been investigated against six species of Aspergillus by measuring the mycelial and sporulation inhibitions. The antimicrobial activity was investigated against six Gram positive and Gram negative strains using the microplate dilution method. The phytochemical study was performed on thin layer chromatography and antioxidant activity was measured using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging test. The sporulation inhibition percentage was 70% while mycelial inhibition was less than 40%. The minimum inhibitory concentration ranged from 0.039 to 2.5 mg/ml. In DPPH radical scavenging assay, the effect on reducing free radicals increased in a dose dependent manner. Three extracts out of six were very active compared to quercetol, with inhibition percentage ranging from 77.39 to 86.55%. The results supported the utilization of these plants in infectious diseases and also showed these plants as good sources for antioxidants.

Key words: Antifungal, antibacterial, antioxidant, Adansonia digitata, Vitex doniana.