Oct. 2014. Vol. 4, No.

ISSN 2307-2083

International Journal of Research In Medical and Health Sciences

2013-2014 IJRMHS & K.A.J. All rights reserved
http://www.ijsk.org/ijrmhs.html

PHYTOCHEMICAL AND ANTIMICROBIAL EVALUATION OF LEAF

AND SEED OF MORINGA OLIFERA EXTRACTS
A. J. AKINYEYE, E.O. SOLANKE, I.O. ADEBIYI
1

Department of Biological Sciences Igbinedion University Okada, Edo State, Nigeria.

(e mail bayotwo@yahoo.com, (e-mail olatoyesolanke@yahoo.com, (e-mail itunuadebiyi@yahoo.com,
ABSTRACT
In recent times, the use of plants as a source of vital compounds to combat microbial infections has gained
prominence. The necessity to search for plant-based antimicrobials is increasing due to high cost, reduced efficacy
and increased resistance to conventional medicines. This study analyzed the phytochemical composition of moringa
olifera, and antimicrobial potential of its methanol and hexane extracts on Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia,
Pseudomonas aeuriginosa and Candida albicans, using antimicrobial screening techniques. Phytochemical analysis
revealed the presence of alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, steroids, saponins and tannins. The methanol extracts of
the leaf of this plant at a concentration of 1040mg/ml exhibited antimicrobial activities against all the
microorganisms. The hexane leaf extract however inhibited all the microorganisms in all concentration except P
aeuriginosa. The methanol extracts generally showed more antimicrobial effects compared to the hexane extracts.
This may be due to alkaloid and saponins being largely present in the methanol leaf extract. The variations in the
presence of the phytochemicals may also be due to the choice of the solvent used in the extraction, methanol is a
polar solvent while hexane is a non polar. The age of the plant was also found to have significant effect on the
phytochemicals present and thus on the antimicrobial properties.
KEY Word: Phytochemical, Antimicrobial, Evaluation, Moringa olifera
uses. Moringa oleifera, an important medicinal plant
is one of the most widely cultivated species. It is
highly valued from time immemorial because of its
vast medicinal properties. In the last few decades,
there has been an exponential growth in the field of
herbal medicine. It is getting popularized in
developing and developed countries owing to its
natural efficacy and lesser side effects (Brahmachari,
2001).

INTRODUCTION
In Africa and other continents of the world,
phytomedicines have been used since time
immemorial to treat various ailments long before the
introduction of modern medicine. Herbal medicines
are still widely used in many parts of the world
especially in areas where people do not have access
to modern medicines (Hoareau and Da Silva, 1999;
Ajibade et al., 2005). Moreover, in most African
countries where herbal medicines are still heavily
relied upon because of the high cost of
chemotherapeutic drugs, there is a need for scientific
research to determine the biological activities of
medicinal plants. The findings obtained from such
research may lead to the validation of traditionally
used and medicinally important plants which will
consequently enable full usage of the properties of
these plants (Adde-Mensah, 1992).

Also, nutraceutical and pharmaceuticals

beneficial properties of different parts of the
Moringaceae plants have different pharmacological
actions and toxicity profiles, which have not yet been
completely elucidated (Chinmoy, 2007). For
example, leaves of Moringa species have been
traditionally reported to have various biological
activities, including antitumoural, antioxidant, antiinflammatory/ diuretic, antihepatotoxic properties,
hypotensive, hypocholesterolemic and hypoglycemic
actions (Sreelatha and Padma, 2010). The roots,
flowers, gum and seeds are extensively used as
antidiabetic and for treating inflammation,

Moringa oleifera is a highly valued plant of

the Moringaceae family. It is a fast growing plant
widely available in tropics and subtropics with much
economic importance for industrial and medicinal

Oct. 2014. Vol. 4, No.6

ISSN 2307-2083

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cardiovascular action, liver diseases, hematological,

hepatic and renal function (Mazumder et al., 1999).
Caceres et al., (1992) reported anti-inflammatory
activity from the hot water infusions of flowers,
leaves, roots, seeds and stalks or bark of M oleifera
using carrageenan-induced hind paw edema in rats.
On the other hand, Moringa species' leaves, fruits and
seeds have been reported as rich sources of protein,
essential elements (Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium
and Iron and vitamins (vitamins A, C and E)
(Ramachandran et al., 1980; Fuglie, 1999).

26.40g. They were measured using a Scout Pro

digital weighing scale.
The soxhlet extraction method (continuous/
successive extraction) was used. The pulverized plant
sample (19.25g) of the leaves of Moringa oleifera
was filled into the sample thimble and placed in the
inner of the soxhlet apparatus. The soxhlet was fitted
at the bottom to a round bottom flask of appropriate
size containing the solvent N- hexane (BDH,
England) and was fitted on top to a reflux condenser.
The solvent (n-hexane) was gently heated and the
vapour passed up through the tube and condensed by
the condenser back into the thimble to slowly fill the
body of the soxhlet. When the solvent reached the top
of the tube, it is siphoned over into the flask and
removed the portion of the substance which it had
extracted in the thimble. The process was reheated
automatically until complete extraction was effected.
This process was further repeated for the seed sample
(26.40g) with n- hexane. Both sample (seed and
leaves) already extracted with n- hexane was further
re- extracted in soxhlet apparatus with methanol
solvent (JHD, China) till complete extraction was
attained. The filtrates extractions were taken in
previously weighed evaporating Petri-dishes and a
rotary vacuum evaporator was used to remove the
excess solvents. After the complete evaporation, the
weight of the extracts was recorded and then labelled.
The extractions stored separately at 4oC in amber
coloured airtight bottles.

In recent times, the use of plants as a source

of novel compounds to combat microbial infections
has gained prominence. The necessity to search for
plant-based antimicrobials is increasing due to high
cost, reduced efficacy and increased resistance to
conventional medicine (Sankar et al., 2012). In
developing countries, herbal medicines play an
important role in primary health care, especially
where coverage of health care service is limited. This
work is aimed at finding the phytochemical and
antimicrobial activity of the leaf and seed extract of
Moringa oleifera.
Materials and Methods
The research was conducted between
February and April, 2013 at Igbinedion University
Microbiology Laboratory, Okada, Edo State, Nigeria.
Okada is the headquarters of Ovia North-East Local
Government of Edo state.

Phytochemical Screening

Collection and Identification of Moringa Oleifera

Phytochemical analysis was performed

using standard procedure prescribed by Sofowora
(1993), Trease and Evans (1989) and Odebiyi and
Sofowora (1978).

The plant was identified at Lucado

Horticultures, Federal University of Technology,
FUTA road, Akure, Ondo State, where the seeds and
leaves were also obtained from. The age of the plant
was estimated at about a year and six months old.

Collection and Confirmation of Isolates.

Extraction

The pure culture of microorganisms used for

the evaluation of the antimicrobial potential of the
leaves and seed extracts of Moringa oleifera are
Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella
pneumoniae and Candida albicans. The isolates were
all locally isolated pure cultures obtained from the
Medical Microbiology Laboratory of Igbinedion
University Teaching Hospital, Okada. The isolates
were identified using various standard biochemical
tests described by Olutiola et al., (1991). All bacterial
isolates were maintained on nutrient agar slants and
fungal isolates on Potato dextrose agar at a
temperature of 4C. The isolates were confirmed

Each leaf was destalked and air-dried at

average room temperature. Continuous turning of the
leaves was done to avert fungal growth for two
weeks. They were kept away from high temperatures
and direct sun light to avoid destroying active
compounds. The pods containing the seeds were also
dried at room temperature. After about two weeks,
the pods opened up, exposing the seeds. The leaves
and the seeds were reduced to fine powder using
mortar and pestle. The fine powder of the leaves
weighed 19.25g while that of the seeds weighed

Oct. 2014. Vol. 4, No.6

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plates are incubated for 24 hours at 37oC. The relative

susceptibility of the microorganisms in the various
extracts was indicated by clear zones of growth
inhibition around the well. This was repeated for the
methanol extract of leaf, hexane extract of seed and
the methanol seed extracts. The zones of inhibition
were then measured in millimeter. The above method
was carried out in triplicates and the mean of the
triplicate results was taken.

using morphological and biochemical examination.

The morphological examination include, culture of
microorganism and Gram staining test. Biochemical
Tests to include Tube coagulase test, Catalase test,
Oxidase test, Urease test, Indole test, Methyl red test,
Citrate test, Vogues proskauer test, Triple sugar iron
slant test, Germ tube (for fungi) and Carbohydrate
fermentation test. Identification of the bacterial
isolates was accomplished by comparing the
characteristics of the cultures with that of known
data.

Determination
of
Concentration (MIC)

Minimum

Inhibitory

Standardization of Microorganisms
The MIC is the lowest concentration of the
extract at which growth of microorganism is
inhibited. 0.2ml of each of the concentration of the
extract was added to 1.8ml of nutrient broth. The
microorganisms were inoculated into the mixture.
Positive controls were prepared using 0.4mg/ml of
gentamicin in place of the extract. Hexane was used
as the negative control for the hexane extracts while
methanol was used for the methanol extracts. The
tubes were incubated and observed after 24 hours.
The MIC was taken as the lowest concentration that
prevented bacterial growth.

The microorganisms were inoculated on

petri dishes from the slant bottles and incubated
overnight. For each microorganism, culture on the
plates was inoculated into 9mls of nutrient broth to
subculture. The bottles were not tightly shut to allow
the aerobic organisms grow. They were incubated
overnight. Normal saline was gradually added to 1ml
of the subculture and compared to the Mc Farland
standards to make 0.5 Mc Farland standards.
0.5 Mc Farland standard = 1.5 X 108 cfu/ml
1 Mc Farland standard = 3.0 X 108 cfu/ml
1.5 Mc Farland standard = 6.0 X 108 cfu/ml

RESULTS

Sterility test of Moringa Oleifera Extracts

Percentage Yield of Extraction

1ml of the extract were each introduced into

the nutrient agar growth media and incubated for 24
hours at 370C. The absence of growth of
microorganisms confirmed its sterility.

The percentage yield of the extract is shown in table

1. It indicates that methanol gives the maximum yield
for the seed (25.19%) and hexane gives the maximum
yield for leaf at 25.19%.

Susceptibility test on test Organisms with the

Extracts.

Antimicrobial activity of the aqueous,

hexane and methanol extracts of the leaves and seeds
and was assayed using the agar well diffusion
method. The molten sterile agar (20mls) was poured
into each of the sterile petridishes and allowed to set.
The petridishes were streaked with the 0.5 Mc
Farland standard of each of the microorganism. A
sterile cork borer was used to bore five equidistant
wells into the agar plates. Two of the wells were for
the positive control (0.4mg/ml gentamicin for
bacteria and 150mg/ml fluconazole for the fungi),
two were for the test extracts and one for the negative
control (hexane/methanol). 100L of the hexane
extracts of the Moringa oleifera leaf were introduced
into the appropriate well using separate plates for
each of the 7 concentration of the extracts, as well as
100L each of the positive and negative control. The

Yield

Table 1: Percentage yield and appearance of the

crude extracts of Moringa oleifera
Plant
Part

Extract

Percentage
Yield

Seed

Hexane

17.27%

Methanol

25.19%

Hexane

25.19%

Methanol

23.84%

Leaf

Phytochemical Analysis

Appearance
of
Crude
Extract
Light
green
liquid
Brown
oily
liquid
Dark
green
solid
Dark
green
liquid

Oct. 2014. Vol. 4, No.6

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The Phytochemical screening of the leaf and seed of

Moringa oleifera revealed the presence of the
different phytochemical components summarized in
table 2. The seed and leaf of Moringa oleifera
contained a number of phytochemicals such as
alkaloids, glycerides, flavonoids, steroids, terpenoids,
saponins and tannins. Flavonoids were largely
present in both the hexane and methanol seed extract;
tannins were absent in the hexane extracts of the
leaves and seeds; steroids were largely present in all
but the methanol leaf extracts; glycosides were also
Phytochemicals

largely present in the methanol extracts of seed and

leaves; terpenoids were absent in all the extracts. The
following were largely present in the methanol
extracts of the leaves: alkaloids, saponins, reducing
sugars, carbohydrates, eugenol and glycosides. These
data corroborated the findings of other authors where
these compounds exhibited antimicrobial activities
(Sato et al., 2004; Cushine and Lamb, 2009).
Table 2: Phytochemical Analysis of the Hexane and
Methanol Extracts of Moringa oleifera Leaf and
Seed.

Leaf

Flavonoid
Alkaloid
Tannin
Phenolics
Steroids
Saponins
Reducing sugars
Carbohydrate
Eugenol
Terpenoids
Glycosides

Seed

Hexane

Methanol

Hexane

Methanol

+
+
+
++
+
+
+
+
+

+
++
+
+
++
++
++
++
++

++
+
+
++
+
+
+
++
+

++
+
+
++
+
+
+
+
++

(25.5mm at 1040mg/ml in Table 3). Of all the

extracts, Moringa oleifera leaf extracts has the
highest antimicrobial value with highest antibacterial
activity against the bacteria tested and the highest
antifungal activity against the fungus tested (Table 36). This suggests that Moringa oleifera leaf extract
has higher potency antimicrobial activity than the
seed (Table 3-6). The hexane extract of the seed
showed no inhibition against Escherichia coli,
Klebsiella pneumonia and Pneumoniae aeruginosa at
all concentrations (Table 6).

Keys: - = absent; + = slightly present; ++ = largely

present
Antimicrobial Activity Assay
The antibacterial activity of the hexane and methanol
extracts was investigated using agar well diffusion
method, against the selected human pathogens such
as Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeroginosa,
Klebsiella pneumoniae and Candida albicans. All the
examined extracts showed varying degrees of
antibacterial and antifungal activities against the
tested organisms. The maximum mean zone of
inhibition was exhibited by the methanol leaf extract

1040mg/ml

Gentamicin
(0.4mg/ml)

Fluconazole
(150mg/ml)

Methanol

Negative
control

520mg/ml

E coli
0
0
0
0
P aeruginosa
0
0
0
0
K pnuemoniae
0
0
0
0
C albicans
0
0
0
0
Key: 0 = No Inhibition, 0 -10 = moderately sensitive, 1020 =sensitive, 20 and above =very sensitive.

Positive control

260mg/ml

130mg/ml

65mg/ml

32.5mg/ml

Mean Zones of Inhibition at various Concentration of the

Extract(mm)
16.25mg/ml

Microorganisms

Table 3: Antimicrobial Activity assay of Methanol

Leaf Extracts of Moringa oleifera

0
0
0
0

0
10.5
11.5
15

25.5
18.5
15
22

27.5
18
19
-

20.5

0
0
0
0

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Microorganisms

Mean Zones of Inhibition at various Concentration of the

Extract(mm)
8.44mg/ml

16.88mg/ml

33.75mg/ml

67.5mg/ml

135mg/ml

270mg/ml

540mg/ml

Gentamicin
(0.4mg/ml)

Fluconazole
(150mg/ml)

Hexane

Table 4: Antimicrobial Activity assay of Hexane Leaf Extracts of Moringa oleifera

Positive control

Negative
control

Eschericia coli
P aeruginosa
K pnuemoniae
C albicans

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

17
0
22.5
22.5

29
25.5
23.5
-

24.5

0
0
0
0

Key: 0 = No Inhibition, 0 -10 = moderately sensitive,

10- 20 =sensitive, 20 and above =very sensitive

Microorganisms

Mean Zones of Inhibition at various Concentration of the

Extract(mm)
14.67mg/ml

29.34mg/ml

58.68mg/ml

117.36mg/ml

234.71mg/ml

469.42mg/ml

938.84mg/ml

Gentamicin(0.
4mg/ml)

Fluconazole
(150mg/ml)

Methanol

Table 5: Antimicrobial Activity assay of Methanol Seed Extracts of Moringa oleifera

E coli
P aeruginosa
K pnuemoniae
C albicans

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

8
0
12
9

19.5
10
20
15

21.5
27.5
24
-

17.5

0
0
0
0

Negativ
control

Microorganisms

Mean Zones of Inhibition at various Concentration of the

Extract(mm)
22.94mg/ml

45.86mg/ml

91.75mg/ml

183.5mg/ml

367mg/ml

734mg/ml

Gentamicin(
0.4mg/ml)
Fluconazole
(150mg/ml)

Hexane

Table 6: Antimicrobial Activity assay of Hexane

Seed Extracts of Moringa oleifera

11.47mg/ml

Key: 0 = No Inhibition, 0 -10 = moderately sensitive,

10- 20 =sensitive, 20 and above =very sensitive.

Positive control

E coli
P aeruginosa
K pnuemoniae
C albicans

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
20

20
21
20
-

0
0
0
0

Key: 0 = No Inhibition, 0 -10 = moderately sensitive,

10- 20 = sensitive, 20 and above = very sensitive.

Positive control

22

Negative
Control

Pseudomonas aeruginosa at 104.4% (table 7). The

percentage activity for Pseudomonas aeruginosa with
hexane leaf and seed extract was zero at their highest
concentrations
(540mg/ml
and
734mg/ml
respectively) (tables 8 & 10).

Percentage Activity
Candida albicans had the highest percentage activity
of 107.3% at 1040mg/ml with methanol leaf extract
when compared to the controls followed by

%Activity

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Table 7: Percentage Activity of Methanol Leaf

Microorganisms

Percentage Activity at various Concentration of the Extract (%)

16.25mg/
ml

32.5mg/m
l

65mg/ml

130mg/ml

260mg/ml

520mg/ml

1040mg/
ml

Extracts of Moringa oleifera

E coli

92.73

P aeruginosa

58.33

104.4

K pnuemoniae

60.53

78.94

C albicans

73.17

107.3

33.7mg/ml

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

Microorganisms

Percentage Activity at various Concentration of the Extract (%)

29.34mg/ml

58.68mg/ml

117.36mg/ml

234.71mg/ml

469.42mg/ml

938.84mg/ml

Eschericia coli
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Klebsiella pnuemoniae
Candida albicans

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

37.20
0
50
51.43

90.70
36.36
83.33
85.7

540mg/ml

16.88mg/ml

0
0
0
0

270mg/ml

8.44mg/ml
Eschericia coli
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Klebsiella pnuemoniae
Candida albicans

135mg/ml

Percentage Activity at various Concentration of the Extract (%)

67.5mg/ml

Microorganisms

14.67mg/ml

Table 8: Percentage Activity of Hexane Leaf Extracts

of Moringa oleifera

0
0
0
58.62
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
95.74
0
0
0
91.84
Table 9: Percentage Activity of Methanol Seed
Extracts of Moringa oleifera

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Table 10: Percentage Activity of Hexane Seed

45.86mg/ml

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0

367mg/ml

734mg/ml

22.94mg/ml

Eschericia coli
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Klebsiella pnuemoniae
Candida albicans

183.5mg/ml

Percentage Activity at various Concentration of the Extract (%)

91.75mg/ml

Microorganisms

11.47mg/ml

Extracts of Moringa oleifera

0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
90.9
Table 11: Minimum Inhibitory Concentration of
Methanol Leaf Extracts of Moringa oleifera

Minimum Inhibitory Concentration

Minimum bacteria concentration refers to the lowest

concentration of antibiotic required to kill a particular
bacterium. The MBC for the methanol seed extract
on E coli was 938.84m/ml, K pneumonia was

Fluconazole
(150mg/ml)

Gentamicin(
0.4mg/ml)

0
136
0
0

0
0
0

Methanol
Methanol

12
N
0
0
Discussion

Negative
control
Fluconazole
(150mg/ml)

36
N
0
0

Positive
control
Gentamicin(
0.4mg/ml)

234.71mg/ml

45
N
0
0

various
938.84mg/ml

117.36mg/ml

66
N
0
0

at
469.42mg/ml

58.68mg/ml

29.34mg/ml

14.67mg/ml

1040mg/ml

Table 12: Minimum Bactericidal Concentration of

Methanol Seed Extracts of Moringa oleifera

Minimum Bactericidal Concentration

Concentration of the Extract(CFU/ml)

E coli
237
75
P aeruginosa
N
N
K pnuemoniae
10
20
C albicans
N
0
KEY: N = Numerous = 350 CFU/ml

520mg/ml

260mg/ml

+
+
+++
++
+
+
+++
+
+++
+
+
+++
58.68mg/ml and C albicans at 29.34mg/ml (table 12).
The MBC for the methanol and hexane leaf extracts
and hexane seed extracts on all the organisms were at
zero at all concentrations.

Minimum Bactericidal Concentration

Microorganisms

Negative
control

130mg/ml

E coli
+
+
+
P aeruginosa
+++
++
++
K pnuemoniae
+
+
+
C albicans
++
++
+
KEY: - = No growth; + = slight turbidity; ++
moderate turbidity; +++ = very turbid

Positive control

+
++
+
+
=

65mg/ml

32.5mg/ml

16.25mg/ml

The MIC value for the Methanolic extracts on E.coli

was 1040mg/ml while for K. pneumonia was
520mg/ml and 1040mg/ml.
Microorganisms
Turbidity at various Concentration of the Extract

N
N
N
N

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Moringa preparations have been cited in the

scientific literature as having antibiotic and
antitrypanosomal activities (Fahey, 2005). The results
from the phytochemical screening revealed the
presence of tannins, saponins, alkaloids and phenols.
The presence of pharmacologically useful substances
such as tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins
among other pharmacologically active elements
(Table 2) in the seed and leaf of Moringa oleifera as
revealed by phytochemistry confirms the diverse
claims and application of parts of the plant in
treatment of ailments (Haristoy et al., 2005). Several
plants which are rich in tannins have been shown to
possess antibacterial activities against a number of
organisms (Doss et al., 2009). Saponnins though are
haemolytic on red blood cells, are harmless when
taken orally and they have beneficial properties of
lowering cholesterol levels in the body (AmosTautua et al., 2011). Alkaloids have been shown to
possess both antibacterial (Erdemogli et al., 2009)
and antidiabetic (Constantino et al., 2003) properties
and useful for such activities. Phenols and phenolic
compounds have been extensively used in
disinfections and remain the standard with which
other bactericides are compared (Uwumarongie et al.,
2007).

microrganisms (Kasolo et al., 2010). Thus, it can be

inferred that the Moringa oleifera leaf has more
microbial activity when compared to the seed.
Pseudomonas aeroginosa was found to be
totally resistant to all the concentrations of the
hexane leaf extract (table 4). Generally, Gram
negative bacteria are known to be resistant to the
action of most antibacterial agents including plant
based extracts and these have been reported by many
researchers (Kambezi and Afolayan, 2008; ElMahmood, 2009). Gram negative bacteria have an
outer phospholipids membrane with the structural
lipopolysaccharide components, which make their
cell wall impermeable to anti-microbial agents. The
methanol seed extract displayed notable anti-bacterial
activities against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (table 5).
This is of great importance because the infections
caused by this bacterium are known to be difficult to
control. It is an opportunistic organism which has
been reported to readily receive resistance carrying
plasmid from other bacteria species (Wiley et al.,
2008).
The hexane seed extract was found to have
no inhibitory effect on the microorganisms except
Candida albicans (Table 6). This may be due to the
flavonoid being largely in the extract. This was
coroborated by Galeotti et al., 2008. Flavonoids are
widely distributed in plants fulfilling many functions.
They have been shown to have antifungal activity in
vitro (Galeotti et al., 2008). The effect on zone of
inhibition was generally low compared to the
orthodox antibiotics used in this study (Tables 6-9).
The results of the antimicrobial sensitivity test were
found to be statistically significant (p0.05)
(Appendix D)

Thus, the antibacterial activities exhibited by

the secondary metabolites: tannins, saponins,
alkaloids and phenols may be responsible for the
antimicrobial activity of the extract. The presence of
secondary metabolites in plants have been reported to
be responsible for their antibacterial properties (Rojas
et al., 2006; Nikitina et al., 2007; Udobi et al., 2008;
Rafael et al., 2009; Adeshina et al., 2010).
However, the present result reveals that the
use of Moringa as an antimicrobial agent is limited
since only the methanol extracts of the seed and leaf
exhibited major antimicrobial effect on the microbes
used in this study as compared to the hexane extracts
(Tables 3-6). Generally, the leaf extracts were more
effective compared to the seed. This finding is
corroborated by Sankar, (2012). In his research, the
methanol extract of leaves, flowers, barks, seeds and
fruits of Moringa oleifera at concentrations of
6mg/ml exhibited antibacterial activities against
Esherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Shigella
dysenteriae and Shigella Flexneri. This may be due
to alkaloids and saponins being largely present in the
methanol leaf extract. Alkaloids are basically
Nitrogen containing naturally occuring compounds
commonly found to have antimicrobial properties due
to their ability to intercalate with the DNA of

The variations in the presence of the phytochemicals

may be due to the choice of solvent used in
extraction. During extraction, solvents may have
diffused into the plant material and solubilised
compounds with similar polarity (Ncube et al., 2008).
Methanol is a polar solvent while hexane is non
polar. Methanol has been found to extract saponins
which have antimicrobial activity (Ncube et al.,
2008). The ability of methanol extract to inhibit the
growth of bacterial strains is an indication of its
antibacterial potential that might be employed in the
management of bacterial infections in the future. The
age of the plant has been reported not to affect the
phytochemicals present in the plant (Bamishaiye et
al., 2011).

Oct. 2014. Vol. 4, No.6

ISSN 2307-2083

International Journal of Research In Medical and Health Sciences

2013-2014 IJRMHS & K.A.J. All rights reserved
http://www.ijsk.org/ijrmhs.html

The minimum inhibitory concentration showed E.coli

to be bactericidal at 1040mg/ml and bacteriostatic
from 520mg -16.25mg/ml of the methanol leaf
extract (table 11). The same goes for Candida
albicans.

6.

7.

Findings in this study suggests that methanol extracts

of different parts of Moringa oleifera have potential
as antimicrobial compounds against pathogens and
their ability to either block or inhibit resistance
mechanisms of bacteria and fungi could improve
treatment and eradication of microbial strains. Thus,
these plant extracts could be used in the treatment of
infectious diseases caused by resistant bacteria.
Therefore these results lay down a basis for
investigation into the search of compounds in M.
oleifera responsible for antibacterial activity.

8.

9.

Since traditional medicine is mostly used as self care,

Moringa oleifera, which is an herbal plant that can be
used in treating different ailments and malnutrition, it
is therefore recommended that it be cultivated by
growing them in backyard gardens for ready
availability.

10.

11.

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