Phytochemical screening and antibacterial activity of Jatropha curcas seeds and stem extractions on some wound pathogens

Jatropha curcas is a local plant used traditionally in Southern Nigeria to stop bleeding from nose, gum and injured skin. It is also used in the treatment of sores, burns and in the control of diarrhea and skin ailments (scabies, trachoma). In this present study, the antibacterial properties of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of the stem and seeds of Jatropha curcas were tested against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus pyogenes using agar well diffusion method.. The percentage yields of the ethanolic extracts of the seed and stem were 80.8% and 83.6% respectively while the yields for the aqueous extracts of the seed and stem were 81.6% and 80.6% respectively. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of steroids, flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids and glycosides in both the stem and seed aqueous extracts. The ethanolic extract of Jatropha curcas stem revealed the widest zone of inhibition against Escherichia coli and the least zone against Streptococcus pyogenes at 100 mg/ml concentration. Escherichia coli showed the greatest susceptibility to 100 mg/ml concentration of the aqueous extract of the stem and the seed while Pseudomonas aeruginosa had the least susceptibility. Keywords: Jatropha curcas, Escherichia coli, Zone of Inhibition, Tannins, Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC), Ethanol ExtractJournal of Pharmaceutical and Allied Sciences, Vol. 10 No. 3 (2013