ANTI-SALMONELLA ACTIVITY OF ETHYL ACETATE FRACTION OF Nauclea latifolia LEAF USED FOR TYPHOID FEVER TREATMENT IN MINNA, NIGER STATE

Abstract

Nauclea latifolia is used in ethnomedicine for the treatment of typhoid fever and other infections. This study was aimed at investigating the anti-salmonella activity of the ethyl acetate leaf fraction of N. latifolia against clinical isolates of Salmonella enterica Typhi. Cold maceration method was used to obtain ethanol extract from 200 g of N. latifolia fine powdered leaf sample using 1000 mL sterile conical flask for 72 hours. Fractionation of the ethanolic crude extract (19.8g) of N. latifolia leaf was performed with ethyl acetate (1500ml) and n-hexane using a Soxhlet apparatus. Agar well diffusion method was used to determine the anti-salmonella activity of the fraction on the isolates with the following concentrations: 40 mg/ml, 80 mg/ml, 120 mg/ml, 160 mg/ml, and 200 mg/ml. The result of the qualitative phytochemical analysis showed that ethyl acetate fraction of N. latifolia leaf contains saponins, tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids, and phenols while glycosides were absent. The ethyl acetate leaf fraction of N. latifolia was active on Salmonella enterica Typhi in all the concentrations used. The diameter of the zones of inhibition ranged from 8.00±0.67 mm to 11.00±0.53 mm. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of ethyl acetate fraction of N. latifolia against Salmonella Typhi was 6.25±0.18 mg/ml while the Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) was 12.50±0.11 mg/ml. It could be concluded that N. latifolia leaf has antibacterial activity on Salmonella enterica Typhi and may be used in the production of drugs against infections associated with the pathogen. Further tests should be carried out to determine the toxicological profile of the leaf.