Studies on Antimicrobial Activities and Phytochemical Analysis of the Plant Sterculia tragacantha lindl

The study investigated the crude extracts obtained from the various parts of the plant Sterculia tragacantha for phytochemical groups. It also examined the plant parts for antibacterial properties while bioactivity guided fractionation was carried out to isolate its active principles with a view to providing rationale for the tradico-medical application of the plant. Both the stem and root barks of S. tragacantha were extracted with methanol at room temperature and concentrated to dryness in vacuo. Screening for phytochemical groups was performed by Thin Layer Chromatography using p-anisaldehyde-sulphuric acid, ferric chloride solution, ninhydrin in acetone, vanillin-sulphuric acid as spraying reagents for detecting sugars, phenolics, peptides and cyclopeptides and caffeine respectively. The antibacterial properties were determined by agar diffusion method and bioautographic technique using Eschreichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as test organisms. Extracts were fractionated using Medium Pressure Liquid Chromatography guided by bioautography to isolate active substances.