In vitro Antimycobacterial Activity of Sterculia quinqueloba (Garcke) K. Schumand Canthium crassum Hiern

Aim: To screen for the anti-mycobacterial activity of Canthium crassum and Sterculia quinqueloba using two mycobacteria species the Mycobacteria madagascariense and Mycobacteria indicuspranii.

Study Design: In vitro assay of anti-mycobacterial assay was done using 96-well micro-dilution method.

Place and Duration of Study: School of Life Science and Bioengineering, Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania, from April 2014 to June 2014.

Methodology: 96-well-microtitre serial micro-dilution method was used to determine anti-mycobacteria activity to plant extracts.

Results: All extracts exhibited anti-mycobacterial activity to both mycobacteria tested. The minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) ranged from 0.39 – 12.5 mg/mL, with ethyl acetate leaf extract of S. quinqueloba being the most active extracts with MIC value of 0.39 mg/mL against Mycobacteria madagascariense (MM) and 0.78 mg/mL against Mycobacteria indicuspranii (MIP). Petroleum ether and ethyl acetate leaf extract of C. crassum also gave MIC value of 0.78 mg/mL against MM and MIP.

Conclusion: Findings from the present study showed that both plants exhibited activity against mycobacterium species tested. These plants may therefore serve as a source for new ant-mycobacterium drugs worth further studies including isolation and identification of the active compounds.