ISOLATION, CHARACTERIZATION AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITIES OF Eucalyptus camaldulensis LEAVES

ABSTRACT

Eucalyptus camaldulensis, the river red gum, is a tree of the genus Eucalyptus. It is one of around 800 species within the genus. It is a plantation species in many parts of the world, but is native to Australia, where it has the most widespread natural distribution especially beside inland watercourses. The plant leaves were ground and exhaustively extracted with n-hexane and methanol respectively using a Soxhlet extractor equipped with a reflux condenser for about 8 hours. Phytochemical screening and antimicrobial activity were performed on the extracts, the oil was isolated using vacuum liquid chromatography (VLC), and fatty acid analysis was carried out with Gas chromatography. Alkaloid was isolated for Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic analysis. The phytochemicals present include glycosides, saponins, eugenol, terpenoids, alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids. The fatty acid present include 76.03% SFA, 20.13% MUFA and 1.98% PUFA. The plant extracts proved to be potentially effective on microorganisms (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa).