PHYTOCHEMICAL, ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTIFUNGAL ANALYSES OF MORINGA OLEIFERA AGAINST SELECTED FUNGAL AND BACTERIAL PATHOGENS.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16948207Keywords:
Moringa orleiera, Aqueous extract, Methanol extract, Phytochemicals, Klebsiella spp., Citrobacter braakii, Enterobacter aerogenesAbstract
This study investigated the phyto-chemical composition and antimicrobial properties of Moringa oleifera leaf extracts against selected bacterial and fungal pathogens. Specifically, the antibacterial activity was tested against Klebsiella spp., Citrobacter braakii, and Enterobacter aerogenes, while the antifungal activity was assessed against Aspergillus niger and Rhodotorula spp. Phytochemical screening of both aqueous and ethanolic extracts revealed the presence of alkaloids and saponins in both, while terpenoids, cardiac glycosides, and quinones were detected only in the ethanolic extract. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated using the agar well diffusion method. The results showed that the ethanolic extract exhibited greater antimicrobial activity than the aqueous extract, with Klebsiella spp. showing the highest sensitivity (zone of inhibition up to 16 mm), followed by Citrobacter braakii and Enterobacter aerogenes. For fungal pathogens, the ethanolic extract showed moderate inhibition against Rhodotorula spp. (up to 12 mm) and lower activity against Aspergillus niger (maximum of 8 mm). Aqueous extracts demonstrated comparatively lower efficacy. The study concludes that Moringa oleifera contains phyto-chemicals with significant antibacterial and moderate antifungal properties, particularly in ethanol-based extractions. These findings support the potential use of Moringa oleifera as a natural antimicrobial agent, especially in managing infections caused by drug-resistant pathogens. Further studies involving compound isolation and in vivo validation are recommended.
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