ABSRACT
The study was carried out to determine the antibacterial and antifungal activity of ethyl acetate extract of Moringa oleifera stem bark and to analyse its phytochemical constituents. The antimicrobial activity of the stem bark extract was evaluated against clinical isolates which include Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans using agar-well diffusion method. Phytochemical screening was done according to standard method as described by Association of Official Analytical Chemist (AOAC). All the test bacterial organisms were susceptible to extract including Candida albicans. The phytochemicals result shows the presence of alkaloids, tannins, phenols, anthraquinone, and flavonoids. Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectroscopy showed that the extract contained 29 different chemical components, with cyclo-pentanol, dodecanoic acid, urea, and hexa-decanoic acid having the highest concentrations. This study demonstrates the antibacterial, antifungal, and high nutritional potential of Moringa oleifera stem bark with possible basis for their ethnomedicinal uses. KEYWORDS: Moringa oleifera, Antibacterial, Antifungal, Phytochemicals, Extract, Stem Bark, Ethyl Acetate
