Farmacologia Clínica e Biofarmacêutica

Abstrato

Antibacterial Activities of the Combined Leaf Extract of Phyllanthus muellerianus and Ciprofloxacin against Urogenital Isolates of Staphylococcus aureus

Ofokansi KC, Attama AA, Uzor PF and Ovri MO

Infectious diseases caused by multi-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus are on the increase and fighting them with natural products may be more efficacious. The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro antibacterial activity of methanol leaf extract and the solvent fractions of Phyllanthus muellerianus (Kuntze) Excell as well as their combinations with ciprofloxacin against various isolates of Staphylococcus aureus. Phytochemical screening was done following established method while the in vitro antimicrobial properties of the extract and fractions of the extract were investigated by the agar diffusion method. Agar diffusion Checkerboard and Overlay Inoculum susceptibility disc methods were further employed to study the interaction of the extract, fraction and ciprofloxacin against eight (8) isolates of S. aureus. Results showed that the extract and the fractions contain glycosides, flavonoids, saponins and alkaloids. N- Hexane and methylene chloride fractions showed no activity against the test microorganisms, while methanol fraction and methanol crude extract produced a concentration dependent antibacterial activity against the organisms. Result of interaction study revealed synergism in some of the combination ratios but the predominant effects were indifference and antagonism. The study has demonstrated that the leaf extract and the polar fraction of the plant, P. muellerianus, possess potent antibacterial effect against various strains of S. aureus. Combination of the extract or the fraction with ciprofloxacin could be beneficial in treating infections caused by S. aureus.