Phytochemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Daniella oliveri Extracts

Daniella oliveri (Caesalpiniacea) is a plant found in the Amazon region and other parts of South America and Africa. The tree may reach a height of 100 feet and trunk diameter of 4 feet. Daniella oliveri (Rolfe) Fabiaceae is commonly known as Ilorin balsam (eepo-iya) or Copaihu africana . It is an indigenous African tree, found extensively in Benin, Cameroon, Gambia and Nigeria. The basic objective of this project is to determine the antimicrobial activity and phytochemical composition of Daniella oliveri. The leaf and bark of the Daniella oliveri were obtained from a location in the south western part of Nigeria, in the tropical rainforest of Ikare Akoko, Ondo state and Ile Ife, Osun state, Nigeria. The plants were authenticated by a certified botanist at the herbarium unit of Department of Plant science and Biotechnology, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria and Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. The leaf and bark were prepared using ethanol. The antimicrobial assay was carried out on leaf and bark using Agar diffusion method and the zone of inhibition was measured. The test organisms used for this research work are Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Staphylococcus aureus , Klebsiella pneumonia, Bacillus cereus, Proteus vulgaris, Streptococcus viridians, Shigella dysenteriae, Bacillus subtilis and Salmonella typhi. All the extracts (leaf and bark) of the highest concentration (60 mg/ml) has the highest zone of inhibition while the lowest concentration (7.5 mg/ml) has the lowest zone of inhibition. The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of alkaloids and phenol, tannin, phylate, oxalate, saponin and steroid. The presences of these compounds were inferred as being responsible for the anti-microbial properties of the extracts. Mineral elements composition content present in the plant are sodium (Na), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Zinc (Zn), Iron (Fe), Lead (Pb), therefore, the use of medicinal plants should be studied in detail and encouraged for use worldwide to reduce the level of resistance of microorganisms to drugs and make drugs available for the populace.