Department of Chemistry

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Browsing Department of Chemistry by Author "Abbo Margret"

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    Phytochemical analysis and anti-bacterial activity of the extract of the leaves of Tephrosia villosa
    (Busitema University, 2024) Abbo Margret
    In developing countries, childhood pneumonia remains a leading cause of death in children and accounts for up to 21% of deaths in children under the age of five years. In sub-Saharan Africa, the estimated proportion of death in children aged below 5 years attributed to pneumonia is 26%. Uganda is currently ranked among the 15 countries with the highest estimated number of deaths due to clinical pneumonia. Pneumonia is caused by many microorganisms including viruses, fungi and bacteria. Streptococcus pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are the most predominant cause of bacterial pneumonia. It is usually treated using antibiotics such as penicillin, amoxicillin and clarithromycin. However, pseudomonas aeruginosa has become resistant to some of the antibiotics especially clarithromycin which has got a variety of side effects such as diarrhea, stomach pain, vomiting, loss of appetite Therefore, there is need for an alternative source of effective antibiotics with minimal side effects. Tephrosia villosa was traditionally used in Africa to manage various diseases due to the fact that it possesses various medicinal properties including the antibacterial activity. This study was to analyze the phytochemical composition of the methanolic extract of the plant and evaluate its anti-bacterial activity. Alcoholic extracts of T. villosa leaves were subjected to various phytochemical analysis to identify the phytochemical components present in the plant. These phytochemicals (alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols and tannins) were then quantified using different standards whose calibration curves were used to determine the total amount of each phytochemical. Antibacterial assay of the Crude extract of Tephrosia villosa was carried out to investigate its effectiveness on pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria. The results of the phytochemical analysis confirmed the presence of various phytochemical compounds including alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, glycosides, saponins, tannins and phenolic compounds. Quantification results showed that the extract had a high concentration of alkaloids (144.85mg/g), moderate concentration of flavonoids (41.35mg/g) and tannins (39.09) with low concentration of phenols (14.18mg/g). Antibacterial activity of the leaves extracts of the plant material showed a clear zone of inhibition on pseudomonas aeruginosa of 44.44% in the lowest concentration of the sample. Further investigation should be carried to determine the specific bioactive compounds responsible for the anti-bacterial activity and against other bacterial strains like streptococcus pneumoniae to fully explore the antibacterial potential of Tephrosia villosa.