PHYTOCONSTITUENTS AND ANTIMICROBIAL PROPERTIES OF TERMINALIA CATAPPA LINN (TROPICAL ALMOND)
BY
OGUNTUASE, OLUFUNKE TITILOPE (B.Sc) OAU,ILE-IFE (MCB/08/5763)
A THESIS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF MICROBIOLOGY SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES, FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, AKURE, ONDO STATE, NIGERIA FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER OF TECHNOLOGY IN ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
NOVEMBER, 2012. ABSTRACT
Fresh leaves, mesocarp of fruits, seeds (nut) and bark of Terminalia catappa L. also known as
Tropical almond were used for the research. Plant parts of T. catappa were separately air-dried and ground into fine powder. 60% (v/v) ethanol was used as extraction solvent. The following clinical bacterial isolates: Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Streptococus faecalis,
Staphylococcus aureus, Serratia marcescens, Micrococus luteus, Pseudomonas aeroginosa were used. The fungi isolates used were Aspergillus fumigatus, Tinea rubrum, Trichoderma phyton
,Candida albicans . Purified bacterial isolates were observed for cultural and morphological characteristics. Fungi were characterized based on their cultural and morphological characteristics.
From the preliminary sensitivity tests and the concentration at which the compounds were active the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) range was determined. The proximate analysis and the phytochemical screening of plant parts were carried out according to the standard procedures.
The seed did not show any antimicrobial property against all the organisms used. In general the green leaves, showed highest sensitivity against test organisms. None of the extracts showed activity against any of the fungi. Plant alkaloids were found only in the bark. Saponin and tannins was present in all the plant parts tested. The phytochemical screening and the proximate analysis showed that the presence of the above components varied according to the plant extracts
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION Terminalia catappa L. commonly called tropical almond, wild almond, India almond, sea almond, etc is a Combretaceous plant whose leaves are widely used as a folk medicine in Southeast Asia for the treatment of dermatosis and hepatitis (Linn et al.1997). This species is globally distributed from Indo- Malaysia to Australia. Tropical almond (Terminalia catappa L) is a large, spreading tree distributed throughout the tropics. It grows principally in freely drained, well aerated; sandy soils. The species has traditionally been very important for coastal communities, providing a wide range of non-wood products. It has a spreading, fibrous root system and plays a vital role in coastline stabilization(Linn et al.1997).. It is widely planted throughout the tropics, for shade, ornamental purposes, and edible nuts. The timber makes a useful and decorative general-purpose hardwood and is well suited for conversion into furniture and interior building timbers. Fruits are produced from about 3 years of age, and the nutritious, tasty seed kernels may be eaten immediately after extraction. It is called Terminalia catappa L.but had at various times been refered to as Phytolacca javanica Osbeck, Terminalia mauritiana Blanco, Terminalia moluccana
Lamk, Terminalia procera Roxb (Pawar et al.2002). The fruit is high in tannic acid and this could stain cars, pavement and sidewalks
1.1 Project justification
The medicinal properties of Terminalia catappa have also been treated on a general basis by several scientists such as Ahmed et al (2005) and Fan et al (2004). But this work is on the different parts of T catappa in order to know the part that is most active against certain organisms than the
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