The Phytochemical Screening, Antibacterial and Antipyretic Properties of Extracts of Chrysophyllum Albidum Leaves

Chrysophyllum albidum is a tropical plant commonly found in different parts of Sub-Saharan Africa used in folklore for the treatment of yellow fever, toothache, malaria, diarrhea, vaginal and dermatological infections. This study investigated the phytochemical constituents and antibacterial and antipyretic activities of the methanol, ethyl acetate, and aqueous extracts of C. albidum leaves. The aqueous crude extract was obtained using cold water maceration, while the methanol and ethyl acetate extracts were obtained using Soxhlet’s extraction method. The presence of phytochemicals was investigated using qualitative methods, and the antibacterial activity was determined against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pnuemoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pnuemoniae., Enterococcus faecalis, Salmonella typhi, and Bacillus subtilis using the agar well-diffusion method and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) by the broth dilution method at various concentrations. The in-vivo antipyretic activity was determined by the baker’s yeast-induced pyrexia method. The phytochemical analysis of the methanol crude extract of C. albidum leaves revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, and cardiac glycosides. The ethyl acetate crude extract revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, and saponins, while the aqueous crude extract revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, and cardiac glycosides. The methanol extract at concentrations of 25 mg/mL, and 100 mg/mL showed antibacterial activity against 3 out of the 9 bacterial isolates: S. typhi, E. coli, and S. pnuemoniae with the highest activity against S. typhi inhibition zone diameter (IZD) of 10 mm, 8 mm, and 8 mm at concentrations of 100 mg/mL, 25 mg/mL and 3.125 mg/mL, respectively. The ethyl acetate extract also showed apparent antibacterial activity against 4 out of the 9 bacterial isolates: P. aeruginosa, P. mirabilis, E. coli, and S. typhi. P. aeruginosa were the most sensitive organisms to the ethyl acetate extract of C. albidum having IZDs of 10mm, 9mm, and 8mm at concentrations of 100 mg/mL, 25 mg/mL, and 3.125 mg/mL, respectively. Proteus mirabilis was the most sensitive organism to the aqueous leaf extract of C. albidum at the different concentrations of 100 mg/ml, 25 mg/mL, and 3.125 mg/mL having an IZD of 18 mm, 18 mm, and 15 mm, respectively. E. coli and S. typhi isolates were inhibited by all the leaf extracts of C. albidum (methanol, ethyl acetate, and aqueous), while S. aureus, Klebsiella sp., and B. subtilis were resistant to all the extracts of C. albidum at the same concentrations. The results of the effects of the methanol, ethyl acetate, and aqueous leaf extracts of C. albidum on baker’s yeast-induced pyrexia in rats showed that aqueous leaf extracts showed a more pronounced and significant (P