Abstract

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The study was aimed at evaluating phytochemical constituents and antimicrobial activities of Jatropha curcas extracts against patients with wound infections attending Jahun General Hospital, Jigawa State. The plant materials were sourced, identified and extracted using water and ethanol. Preliminary phytochemical screening of extracts was carried out using standard procedure. Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas sp. Staphylococcus aureus, Aspergillus niger, Penicillium sp. and Candida sp. were isolated and identified from ten (10) wound patients. Evaluation of antimicrobial activities of the extracts was also carried out. Results of phytochemical screening revealed the presence of saponins, tritepenes, anthraquinones, alkaloids, flavonoids and tannins in both seed and stem bark ethanol and aqueous extract with exception of flavonoids in stem bark extracts. The antimicrobial activities result shows that among the extracts, ethanol seed extracts has the highest antimicrobial activity compared with that of aqueous with the inhibition zone diameter of 15.0 ± 0.0mm and 13.0 ± 0.0mm respectively at 2000µg/ml concentration against E. coli and 13.0 ± 0.0mm and 12.0 ± 0.0mm against Staphylococcus aureus at 2000µg/ml concentration. Conclusively, ethanol could be considered as the best extracting solvent and Jatropha curcas seed extracts could be considered for further analysis on antimicrobial activity against pathogenic bacteria and fungi.

Keywords: Jatropha curcas, Wound infections, Jahun