Study on the Phytochemical Screening and Antimicrobial Activity of the Methanolic Extract and Butanoic Fraction of Jackfruit leaves (Arthocarpus heterophyllus)

The leaf extract and metabolites of Jack fruit possess several bioactive compounds of relevant medicinal significance. This study investigated the phytochemical and antimicrobial activity of the methanol extract and butanol fraction. The extract and fraction were screened for their microbial activity on typed strains of bacteria and fungi. In the preliminary antimicrobial screening, the methanol extract displayed better anti-microbial and anti-fungal activities when compared with the butanol fraction, E.coli and B.cereus at IZD of 16mm and 13.8mm. The minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) of test samples against the test organisms ranged from (0.156-5mg/mL) where the lowest of the methanol extract as recorded against E.coli (0.156mg/mL) and butanol fraction against B.cereus (0.313mg/L). The physiochemical screening revealed the leaf as having heavy presence of flavonoids, saponins, tannins, alkaloids although more in the methanol extract at above 2 while that of butanol fraction less than 1. Based on the available data, it was concluded that Artocarpus heterophyllus leaf exhibits medicinal activity and opens a broader avenue for further therapeutic investigations for its usefulness.