ABSTRACT

This study investigates the antibacterial activities of mistletoe (Tapinanthus globiferus) harvested from Pear trees (Decyodes edulis) in Ewu, in Edo state of Nigeria. The study was carried out at the Pax Herbal Research Centre, Ewu, Edo State using standard procedures. Fresh leaves of Tapinanthus globiferus were collected from pear trees,washed, dried, blended and extracted with methanol. The crude methanol extracts were further fractionated using chloroform, aqueous (crude extract dissolved in 60% methanol) and N-hexane. These fractions were tested against Staphylocococus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pnuemoniae,Bacillus subtilis,Escherichia coli, and Enterobacter aeruginosa, using the agar well diffusion method. Crude extract I (CEI) exhibited higher zones of inhibition against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus,having zones of inhibition of 12mm respectively. For Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae,Escherichiacoli,and Bacillus subtilis, it had 9.6mm, 3mm, 1mm and 2mm zones of inhibition respectively, with no activity on Enterobacter aeruginosa. Similarly crude extract II (CEII) showed 6.3mm, 3.6mm, 2mm and 7.6mm zones of inhibition against Pseudomonas aeruginosa,Proteus mirabilis andKlebsiella pneumoniae andStaphylococcus aureus respectively. Among the extract fractions used,the methanolic aqueous (AQ) fraction was weakly active against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4.3mm), Proteus mirabilis (2mm) and Staphylococcus aureus (2mm). The chloroform fraction was only active against Proteus mirabilis (2mm), Klebsiella pneumoniae (5mm) and Staphylococcus aureus (2mm), with no activity on Pseudomonasaeruginosa , Escherichia, coli,, Enterobacter aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis. The N-Hexane fraction did not show any antibacterial activity against the test organisms. Ampiclox exhibited activity against all test organisms; Pseudomonas aeruginosa,Proteus mirabilisKlebsiella pneumoniae,Escherichiacoli,Enterobacter aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus, having inhibition zones of 10mm,15mm, 5mm, 10mm, 6mm, 20mm and 5mm respectively. No activity was observed with DMSO on all test organisms.The Phytochemical screening result showed the presence of phenolic compounds, saponin, flavonoid, reducing sugar, terpenoids, steroids and alkaloid. Tannin, polysaccharide, phlobatannin and cardiac glycoside were absent. The minimum inhibitory concentration ranged from 40mg/ml for Pseudomonas aeroginosa to 160mg/ml for Proteusmirabilis and Bacillus subtilis respectivly. The minimum bacteriocidial concentration ranged from 80mg/ml for Pseudomonas aeroginosato 320mg/ml forProteusmirabilis and Bacillus subtilis.

The study reveals that antibacterial activities of mistletoe depend on the extraction solvent and bacterial type.