In-vitro antimicrobial activity of methanolic and aqueous leaf extracts of Chrysophyllum albidum (African star apple) and Garcinia kola (Bitter kola)

Methanolic and aqueous leaf extracts of Chrysophyllum albidum (African star apple) and Garcinia kola (bitter kola) were studied for in-vitro microbial activity using the disc diffusion technique. The aqueous and methanolic leaf extracts of Chrysophyllum albidum showed antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans but showed no antibacterial activity against Klebsiella pneumonia. The methanolic leaf extract of Garcinia kola inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumonia while the aqueous extract of the leaf inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Both methanolic and aqueous leaf extracts of the plant showed no antifungal activity against Candida albicans. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of the leaf extracts of Chrysophyllum albidum ranged from 12.5 mgL-1 to 25 mgL-1 while those of Garcinia kola ranged from 25 mgL-1 to 50 mgL-1. The results obtained suggest that the leaves of these plants can be used in treating diseases caused by the test organisms. The further investigation on the crude extracts would characterize bioactive components of the leaves of Chrysophyllum albidum and Garcinia kola.