PHYTOCHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND ANTIMICROBIAL EFFICACY OF HYPTIS SUAVEOLENS (L) POIT

Abstract

Medicinal plants remain a prolific source of secondary metabolites and a potent source of antimicrobial agents. Researchers around the world are screening the antimicrobial compounds present in medicinal plants, as they are being used in traditional healthcare systems. The plant Hyptis suaveolens is an important medicinal plant that is widely distributed in different parts of the world including Nigeria and other African countries. In this study the phytochemical screening and antimicrobial activities of the methanolic leaf extract of Hyptis suaveolens was investigated. The quantitative and qualitative phytochemical screening was determined using standard methods, the antimicrobial activities of the methanol leaf extract of H. suaveolens was evaluated using the standard in-vitro methods against six microorganisms; Salmonella typhi, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, A. niger and A. flavus. The result of the phytochemical screening revealed the presence of secondary metabolites (alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, phenols and terpenoids) with the quantitative estimation showing phenols as the highest yield (14.74 ±0.08). The result showed a clear zone of inhibition both on the test microorganisms. The sensitivity result showed that the methanol leaf extract had the highe st activity on Salmonella typhi with mean zones of inhibition in millimeter of 28.67 ±4.61and for the fungi A. niger recorded a wider zone of inhibition 28.33 ± 3.21 than A. flavus . There was a dose-dependent increase in antimicrobial activity across all the test organisms. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranged from 6.25- 25 mg/ml. This research has shown that that the methanol leaf extract of Hyptis suaveolens possess bioactive compounds, which are responsible for the antimicrobial activity thus justifies its use in traditional medicine