Preliminary phytochemical screening and antimicrobial activity of crude extracts of Bambusa vulgaris Schrad. Ex J.C. Wendl. (Poaceae) from southwestern Nigeria

Abstract

Antimicrobial screening of the n-hexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts of B. vulgaris showed that the crude extracts significantly inhibited the growth of fungi Aspergillus niger (minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC] = 1.25 ± 0.80, 2.5 ±0.71 and 2.5 ± 0.71 mg/mL, respectively) and Verticillium alboatrum ([MIC] = 5.0 ± 0.71, 2.5 ± 0.71 and 1.25 ± 0.55 mg/mL) respectively. Antibacterial screening of the plant extracts against Gram-positive Bacillus cereus ([MIC] = 1.25 ± 0.23, 2.5 ± 0.55 and 5.0 ± 0.10 mg/mL), Staphylococcus aureus ([MIC] = 2.5 ± 0.77, 5.0 ± 0.10 and 1.25 mg/mL), and Gram-negative Escherichia coli ([MIC] = 2.5 ± 0.71, 3.5 ± 0.23 and 1.25 ± 0.23) and Klebsiella pneumoniae ([MIC] = 3.5 ± 0.23, 2.5 ± 0.10 and 1.25 ± 0.55 mg/mL), respectively, showed that all assayed concentrations significantly inhibited the growth of the microorganisms studied at MIC  2.5 mg/mL. Therefore the solvent extracts of B. vulgaris have antimicrobial activities supporting the ethno medicinal use of aqueous extracts of B. vulgaris to treat sexually-transmitted diseases and for wounds.