Abstract
Background: In this study, the phytochemical, heavy metals, and antimicrobial characteristics of the leaves of Calopogonium mucunoides were investigated in other to determine its therapeutic potentials. The phytochemicals present in the leaves were extracted with n-hexane, methanol and ethyl acetate, and the extracts were used to investigate for the phytochemical constituents and antimicrobial activity. The methanol extract was used to test for the concentration of five heavy metals.Results: The result of the phytochemical screening confirmed the presence of alkaloids, anthocyanins, flavonoids, glycosides, phenols, reducing sugars, saponins, steroids, tannins, and terpenoids in various quantities. The heavy metals analysis result revealed the presence of lead (0.08 mg/kg) and iron (0.08 mg/kg) well below the acceptable limits set by the World Health Organization for heavy metals in plants, while cadmium, nickel and zinc were found to be below detectable limits. The extracts were tested against thirteen human pathogens (ten bacteria and three fungi) using the disk diffusion method. The extracts possessed a broad range of microbial activities, with the methanolic extract reportedly showing the highest zone of inhibition (31 mm) against Bacillus sp. while the n-hexane extract did not show any antimicrobial activity in the whole test organisms.Conclusion: The results obtained revealed that the leaves of C. mucunoides has some therapeutic values and could be exploited in the preparation of herbal drugs for the treatment of various ailments.
Highlighting the Biotechnological Potential of Deep Oceanic Crust Fungi through the Prism of Their Antimicrobial Activity