Studies of the Chemical Constituents of the Fruit-rind of Picralima nitida (Apocynaceae) and Screening of its Antimicrobial Potency

Author Details
Okenwa Uchenna Igwe¹*and Yusuf Ozovehe Usman^2
1Department of Chemistry, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, P.M.B. 7267 Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria,
²Instrumentation Unit, National Research Institute for Chemical Technology, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria

Abstract
The ethanolic extract of the fruit-rind of Picralima nitida was analyzed by Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Seven different phytochemical compounds have been characterized, including : 1,2,3,5-cyclohexanetetrol(23.04%), alpha-methyl mannofuranoside(70.61%), hexadecanoic acid, methyl ester(1.46%), tetradecanoic acid ethyl ester(0.70%), 12-octadecenoic acid methyl ester(1.28%), Z,E-3,13-octadecadien-1-ol (1.65%) and N,N-dimethyldodecanamide (1.26%). The antimicrobial screening of the fruit-rind extract of Picralima nitida showed marked antimicrobial potency against certain strains of bacteria which include Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi and Proteus mirabilis. These results give credence to the use of the extract in herbal medicine for the treatment of diseases and infections.
Keywords: Picralima nitida fruit–rind, Chemical constituents, GC-MS analysis, Antimicrobial screening, Herbal plant.