Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International

The Phytochemical and antibacterial activities of Calotropis procera Leaf Organic Fractions were tested against vancomycin and methicliin resistant bacteria isolated from wound patients in Ondo State Specialist Hospital. The bacterial isolates are; Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis and Streptococcus pyogenes. Agar well diffusion method was used to determine the antibacterial activities of the extracts on resistant bacterial isolates. Purification of the extracts was carried out using column chromatographic techniques, and the fractions obtained were spotted on the precoated TLC plates to obtain the active fractions by calculating the retention factor (Rf). The antibacterial potency of the active purified fractions was investigated against the resistant bacterial isolates. Ethanol extract had the highest zones of inhibition of 24.01 mm against Staphylococcus aureus while a lowest zone of inhibition of 10.19 was against Klebsiella pnuemoniae. Cold water extract highest zones of inhibition was against Escherichia coli at 15.00 mm and lowest inhibition against Pseudomonas aeruginosa at 7.20 mm. Phytochemical analysis of the extracts revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannin, saponin, terpenoids, cardic glycoside and phenols. The Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic analysis of the active fractions showed five important functional groups namely; phenols, hydroxyl, carbon-hydrogen, carbonyl and aromatic. Findings from this research indicate that the leaf extracts of Calotropis procera posses antibacterial potency which will assist in the preliminary treatment of wound infections, most especially because of its high inhibitory effect against Staphylococcus aureus.