title: Antibacterial and Antioxidant Properties of the Leaves and Stem Essential Oils ofJatropha gossypifoliaL.
abstract: Antibacterial and antioxidant properties of the leaves and stem essential oils (EOs) ofJatropha gossypifoliaand their efficacies against infectious and oxidative stress diseases were studiedin vitro. The EOs obtained using Clevenger modified apparatus were characterized by high resolution GC-MS, while their antioxidant and antibacterial properties were examined by spectrophotometric and agar diffusion techniques, respectively. The EOs exhibited strong antibacterial activity againstEscherichia coli,Enterococcus faecium,andStaphylococcus aureus. The stem essential oil (SEO) was more active than the leaf essential oil (LEO) against test bacteria with minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) ranging from 0.025 to 0.05 mg/mL and the LEO from 0.05 to 0.10 mg/mL. The SEO was bactericidal at 0.025 and 0.05 mg/mL againstS.aureusandE.faecium, respectively, and the LEO was bacteriostatic against the three bacteria at 0.05 and 0.10 mg/mL. The SEO IC50(0.07 mg/mL) showed that the antiradical strength was superior to LEO (0.32 mg/mL) andβ-carotene (1.62 mg/mL) in scavenging 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals (DPPH•). The oils effectively reduced three other oxidants to neutral molecules in concentration dependent manner. Findings from this study suggest that, apart from the traditional uses of the plant extracts, the EOs have strong bioactive compounds with noteworthy antibacterial and antiradical properties and may be good candidates in the search for lead compounds for the synthesis of novel potent antibiotics.
authors.affiliation: SAMRC Microbial Water Quality Monitoring Centre, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa; Applied and Environmental Microbiology Research Group (AEMREG), Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa.
authors.forename: Sunday O
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8698-4543
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Okoh
authors.affiliation: SAMRC Microbial Water Quality Monitoring Centre, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa.
authors.forename: Benson C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Iweriebor
authors.affiliation: Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa.
authors.forename: Omobola O
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7869-8080
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: Okoh
authors.affiliation: SAMRC Microbial Water Quality Monitoring Centre, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa.
authors.forename: Uchechukwu U
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0646-4028
authors.initials: UU
authors.lastname: Nwodo
authors.affiliation: SAMRC Microbial Water Quality Monitoring Centre, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa; Applied and Environmental Microbiology Research Group (AEMREG), Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Fort Hare, Alice 5700, South Africa.
authors.forename: Anthony I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Okoh
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry*; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D031286:Jatropha / Q000737:chemistry*; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000737:chemistry*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D009822:Oils, Volatile; D010936:Plant Extracts; D010938:Plant Oils