ABSTRACT

The ethanol extracts of vernonia amyadalina and carica papaya leaves were tested against selected test organisms usin agar dilution method for determining and evaluating their antimicrobial activities. The test organisms used were staphylococcus aureus ATCC25923, Escherichia coli, ATCC 25922, enterococcus faecalis ATCC 7080 and salmonella typhi. The ethanol extract of vernonia amyadalina and carica papaya showed stron inhibition at 10,000µg¬/ml against s.areus ATCC25923 and E.faecalis ATCC7080 while for e.coli plants revealed the presence of  saponins, tannins, flavonoids. The result of antibacterial assay, minimum inhibitory concentration (mic ) and minimum bacterial concentration (mbc) showed that the ethanol extracts from the plant possess significant level of antibacterial activities at varied concentrations against the test organisms, the extract of vernonia amygadalina had minimum inhibitory concentration range between 100ug/ml to 4000ug/ml against three of the test organisms and minimum bactericidal concentration ranged between 2000ug/ml to 5000ug/ml, while the extract of the carica papaya had minimum infibitory concentration range 9000ug/ml against three organisms and minimum bactericidal concentration ranged between 2000ug/ml to 10000ug/ml. the results of the work suggest that the ethanol leaves extract of vernonia amygdalina and carica papaya possess broad spectrum of antibacterial activities. The results validates the ethnomedicinal uses of these plants.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title page i

Certification ii

Dedication iii

Acknowledgement iv

Table of content v

List of Tables vii

List of plates

Abstract ix

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Introduction 1

1.2 Aims and Objectives 2

CHAPTER TWO

2.0 Literature Review  5

2.1 Medicinal Plants 5

2.2 Phytomedicine  7

2.3 Review Of Some Phytochemicals 8

2.4 Ethnopharmacognotic Profile Of The Test Plants 11

  2.4.1  Vernonia amygdalina 11

2.4.1.1   Pharmacology Of Vernonia amygdalina 12

2.4.2 Carica papaya 14

2.4.2.1  Pharmacology of Carica papaya 15       

CHAPTER THREE

3.0  Materials and methods    17

3.1 Collection of Plant Materials 17

3.2   Preparation of the Plant Material 19

3.3 Extraction   Procedure  19

3.4 Source and Maintenance of Test Organisms 20

3.5. Preparation of Stock  Solution of Extract 20

3.6 Agar Dilution Susceptibility Testing    21

3.7 Minimum Inhibitory Concentration    22

3.8 Qualitative Phytochemical Screening  23

 CHAPTER FOUR

4.0 RESULTS 25-31

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0 DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 32

5.1 Discussion 32

5.2 Conclusion 34

5.3 Recommendations 35

REFERENCES