Phytochemical, Proximate, In-vitro Antimalarial and Antimicrobial screening of leaf Extracts of Justicia carnea Lindl

Aim: To study the phytochemical, proximate, antimicrobial and anti-malarial activities of leaf extracts of Justicia carnea Methods: The leaf sample of Justicia carnea which has been used in Nigeria folklore in treating malaria, cancer and many other diseases was extracted with methanol, ethyl acetate and n-hexane. The extracts were subjected to qualitative and quantitative phytochemical screening, proximate, anti-malarial and antimicrobial screening. Results: The results showed that alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, phenolic compounds were present. Ethy acetate extract also exhibited the highest suppression against malaria parasite in-vitro, more than chloroquine. This inhibition and high abundance of alkaloids and glycosides gave credence to the therapeutic use of the plant as anti-malaria drug. The three extracts showed a concentration-dependent inhibition against S. aureus, Aspergillus spp and Bacillus spp. S. typhi, K. pneumonia, P. aerogenosa and C. albicans were resistant in all concentrations of the extracts. Conclusion: The therapeutic use of the leaves of J. carnea in treatment of malaria was validated. Its antimicrobial activity was also affirmed in some of the tested organisms.

Formulation and Antimicrobial Screening of Piper sarmentosum Cream against Staphylococcus aureus

Piper sarmentosum, known as ‘kaduk’ has been traditionally used in different parts of the world to cure many diseases and ailments. It contains alkaloids and has been reported to possess many pharmacological properties like anti-cancer, anti-hyperglycaemic, anti-tuberculosis, antioxidant, and antimalarial. This study aimed to evaluate the formulation of P. sarmentosum cream and exploring the antimicrobial properties in different types of cream formulation before in vivo study. The leaves extract of P. sarmentosum was obtained from the cold-soaked methanolic extraction method, evaporated, and dried to produce the powdered extract. Then, it was diluted into four different concentrations, 25% w/v, 50% w/v, 75% w/v, and 100% w/v for Staphylococcus aureus antimicrobial screening. Based on the S. aureus antimicrobial screening, four types of creams were formulated (Cream A: cream base without Piper sarmentosum extract; Cream B: Piper sarmentosum extract (5%) only; Cream C: Piper sarmentosum extract (5%) with parabens preservatives; Cream D: Piper sarmentosum extract (5%) with vitamin E) and evaluated for their physical appearance, pH, stability study, and antimicrobial activity against S. aureus. As a result, 100% w/v concentration of the P. sarmentosum extract showed the highest result in the zone of inhibition (5.50 mm ± 0.03) towards S. aureus and was selected for cream formulation. In evaluating their physical appearance, all formulated creams showed high homogeneity and consistency with no phase separation and pH between 7.2 – 8.0 ± 0.07. On stability study, all creams with three different temperatures of 4°C, 27°C, and 37°C for 30 days show no colour changes, high homogeneity, and consistency with any phase separation. The results of antimicrobial screening for all formulated creams, show that Cream D has the highest zone of inhibition towards S. aureus (5.53 mm ± 0.25), followed by Cream C (4.43 mm ± 0.13). In conclusion, P. sarmentosum cream formulation showed high stability properties and possessed anti-microbial properties suggesting its potentials for wound healing cream.