Validation of the Antibacterial Efficacy of the Essentail Oils from the Leaves of Parquetina Nigrescens (Asclepiadaceae):

Adejoke Deborah Osinubi; Isaac Saint  Njoku; Kehinde Adewunmi

Adejoke Deborah Osinubi Tai Solarin University of Education https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6719-305X
Isaac Saint Njoku Caleb University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4655-7192
Lawal Kehinde Tai-Solarin University of Education

Keywords: Parquetina nigrescens, essential oils, antibacterial, hydrodistillation

Abstract

Essential oils are complex mixtures of volatile compounds that are extracted from different parts of plants and possess diverse biological activity. In this work, the essential oils of Parquetina nigrescens leaves harvested in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun state, were extracted using hydrodistillation and the oils were analysed with Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Twenty six (26) different compounds were found in the oil with Caryophyllene (49.38 %) and α-Citral (14.49%), being the most prevalent chemical compounds detected while Endo–Borneol (6.06 %), Citral (5.82 %), 3-Carene (4.18 %), 10-epi- γ-Eudesmol (3.75 %), Selin-6-en-4α-ol (3.76 %), and α-Pinene (2.19 %) were present is smaller quantities and other compounds were only found available in negligible amounts. The oil was screened for its antibacterial activity against K. pneumoniae, E. coli, and S. aureus. In comparison to the standard drug, the oil displayed good activity against the bacteria screened. E. Coli was the most susceptible to the antibacterial effect of the oil, as the best activity was observed against it (22.00±1.26 mm), followed by K. pneumonia (19.00±1.11 mm) and S. aerus (18.00±1.23 mm). This result underscores the relevance of Parquetina nigrescens in traditional medicine practice.

Author Biographies

Adejoke Deborah Osinubi, Tai Solarin University of Education

Osinubi Adejoke is an Organic Chemist and a Lecturer with years of teaching, research, and mentorship experience. Her research is interdisciplinary and employs well-established methods as well as develops strategies for reaching new targets. Her primary research interest lies in drug design and development, the synthesis of bioactive compounds for the treatment of human diseases, and the chemistry of natural products, including their bioavailability, bioactivity, and possible deterrents to their usability by humans. To this end, she has conducted research, made presentations at conferences, and published papers in reputable journals such as the Journal of the Chemical Society of Nigeria, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and Wiley, among others. Her publications highlight her commitment to advancing knowledge in the field of organic chemistry (natural products and organic synthesis) and the need to make compounds that can be used to tackle the continuous multidrug resistance of bacteria to already existing drugs available to mankind.

Isaac Saint Njoku, Caleb University

Isaac Saint Njoku is an Organic Chemist and a Lecturer with years of teaching, research, and mentorship experience. His research covers areas such as, industrial Chemistry, Organic and Material (Nano) science chemistry, Natural product chemistry, Essential oil research, Synthesis and characterization of bioactive components of medicinal plants, Molecular docking studies, Nanomaterial, nanomedicine, synthesis and application, Antimicrobial & antioxidant activities, Drug discovery/Pharmacology and Environmental Research. He has conducted research that have been published in top-quality peer-reviewed journals. His publications highlight an unwavering commitment to advancing knowledge in his chosen field of chemistry.

Lawal Kehinde, Tai-Solarin University of Education

Lawal Kehinde holds a B.Sc (Ed) in Chemistry from Tai-Solarin University of Education, Ogun State, Nigeria. She has a special interest in Organic Chemistry with a focus on the study of medicinal plants and their therapeutic activity against resistant bacterial strains.