Assessment of Antimicrobial Effect of Alcohol and Aqueous Extracts of Garcinia kola on Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia

As a result of the development of resistance of microorganisms to older antimicrobial agents there is need for a search for new agents, which are effective for the treatment of infections. The crude aqueous and alcoholic extr acts of Garcinia kola fruits were assayed against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The results revealed that the plant extracts possess inhibitory effect against the microorganisms tested. The minimum inhibitory concentration of the plant extracts ranged between 20mg/ml and 45mg/ml. There was a change in the antibacterial activity of the test extracts on variation of temperature. The results obtained may suggest that the plant extract is thermal stable and could serve as a source of industrial drugs useful in chemotherapy of some microbial infections. Keywords: Garcinia kola, microorganisms, inhibitory, chemotherapy, dru

Evaluation of the erosive potential of selected non-carbonated powdered sachet fruit drinks on the human enamel

This study was carried out to evaluate the erosive potentials of selected non-carbonated powdered sachet fruit drinks on the human dentition using physical examination and standard analytical procedures involving measurements of some physicochemical parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity and buffering capacity. The results of the physical examination revealed that all the fruit drinks complied with the NAFDAC specifications except that 50% of the drinks had no NAFDAC registration number while the results of the physicochemical analyses showed that the pH of the fruit drinks ranged from 2.635±0.22 to 2.25±0.13, electrical conductivity ranges between 1631±0.05 and 493±0.0 μS/cm and buffering capacity ranged from 3.80±0.05 to 0.75±0.11cm3 of NaOH, respectively. The results showed that all fruit drinks analyzed were highly acidic as the pH values of the prepared solutions were less than the threshold pH (5.5) for enamel dissolution. Therefore, prolong retention of such drinks in the mouth might result into enamel wearing and tooth decay as such food and drinks with high sugar content should only be taken in small quantity.Keywords: Powder sachet drinks, Non-carbonated, Erosive potential, Enamel dissolution, Buffering capacit

Evaluation of phytochemical constituents and antimicrobial activity of Vernonia amygdalina leaf extracts

Vernonia amygdalina is a shrub found in Nigeria, growing in backyard gardens and farmlands where it is popularly used as vegetable. The decoction has been used for bowel ailments and fresh cuts injuries. Aqueous, ethanolic, methanolic extracts of Vernonia amygdalina were examined for the phytochemical constituents and antimicrobial activities against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella typhi. Leaf extracts of the plant contained glycosides, alkaloids, saponins and tannins. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the extracts against the test organisms is in the range of 15mg/ml to 45mg/ml. MIC values of 15mg/ml, 20mg/ml, 30mg/ml and 35mg/ml were recorded against methanol extract when the extract was assayed against E. coli, S. aureus, K. pneumonia and S. typhi respectively. The results of this study suggests that extracts of Vernonia amygdalina could serve as a source of chemotherapeutic agent against the infections associated with Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella typhi