Abstract

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Since centuries ago till date, medicinal plants remain relevant for curing many human infections and diseases due to the many enriched therapeutic and bioactive compounds present in plants. The age long tradition of drug discovery has always been aided by natural products from plants; which provide the basic elements for drug discovery. This research aims at evaluating the prophylactic effects of the combined extracts of P. amarus and D. scandens and the bioautography of both plants. Methanolic, n hexane and ethyl-acetate extracts of the plants were obtained using soxhlet extractor, and the bioactive fractions of both plants were determined using thin layer chromatography. The prophylactic effects of the combined extracts were evaluated on Swiss albino rats infected with antibiotic-resistant coagulase negative Staphylococcus strains. The n-hexane yielded more bioactive compounds in D. scandens by producing six (6) active bands with retention factor values of 0.07, 0.12, 0.62, 0.68, 0.72 and 0.78, while the cold ethyl acetate extract yielded more bioactive compounds in P. amarus by producing eight (8) active bands with retention factor (Rf) values of 0.096, 0.137, 0.178, 0.260, 0.603, 0.644, 0.767, and 0.838. The experimental mice pre-treated with the combined plant extract showed no sign or symptoms of infection while the uninfected control showed varied signs of infection such as weakness, inflammation, redness of skin and eyes, etc. An elevation of activity or aggression level was also observed only on the pre-treated mice. The least effective dose of 25 mg/kg showed that the prophylactic effects of the combined extracts was more potent than when either plant was used separately. Phyllanthus amarus and D. scandens possess bioactive compounds which have excellent antibacterial potentials, and the antibacterial efficacy of either plant can be boosted and improved by combining both plants

Keywords: Medicinal plants, bioautography, prophylaxis, combined extracts, antibacterial