DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2015.v03i04.012

Pages: 386-391

Folkloric medicinal application of Clerodendrum capitatum in the treatment of tuberculosis was investigated. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of carbohydrates, cardiac glycosides, steroids, triterpenes, alkaloids, tannins and saponins. Hexane (HE), dichloromethane (DCM), ethyl acetate (EA) and methanol (ME) extracts of C.capitatum leaves were evaluated for antibacterial and antifungal activities, against nine pathogenic bacteria and three fungi; Shigella dysenteriae, Salmonella typhi, Corynebacterium ulcerans, Klebsiella pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus, Methicillin resistant Staphillococus aureus, Proteus mirabilis, and Streptococcus pneumoniae, Candida tropicalis, Candida krusei and Candida albicans, using the agar-in-well diffusion method. Determination of zone of inhibition (ZI) showed inhibition ranging from 17-26 mm (HE), 23-26 mm (DCM), 26-29 mm ( EA) and 20-23 mm (ME) against the entire test organisms except Corynebacterium ulcerans. The results of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) showed that EA fraction inhibited the growth of all test organisms at a low concentration of 3.25 mg/mL except S. aureus and C. albicans which were inhibited at 7.5 mg/mL. Higher MIC values were observed for HE (7.5-15 mg/mL), DCM and ME fraction all showed MIC at 7.5 mg/mL. The microorganisms were completely killed at a higher concentration; EA (MBC/MFC; 7.5-15 mg/mL), DCM (MBC/MFC; 15 mg/mL), ME (MBC/MFC; 15-30 mg/mL) and HE (MBC/MFC; 30 mg/mL). Antituberculosis evaluation reveals that the DCM extract had the highest activity with MIC of 0.675 mg/mL against Mycobacterium bovis. The results clearly showed that the plant had potential that can be explored in the search for anti-TB drug.