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Global Jou nal o Resea ch in Medical Sciences
ISSN: 2583-3960 (Online)
Volume 05 | Issue 06 | No .-Dec. | 2025
Jou nal homepage: h ps://gj publica ion.com/gj ms/
Resea ch A icle
An ibac e ial Ac i i y o Phyllan hus ni u i Ex ac s Agains Clinical Isola es o En e ic
Bac e ial Pa hogens
*Fadima u Adamu Dahi u 1, Abdulazeez Mumsi i Abaka 2, Musa Hammandama Belel 3, Sadiqah Maiga i Ahmadu 4
1,2,3 Depa men o Science Labo a o y Technology, School o Science and Technology, Adamawa S a e Poly echnic,
Yola.
1 O cid ID: 0009-0008-0378-7992
2 O cid ID: 0000-0002-6160-7426
4 Adamawa S a e College o Nu sing
4 O cid ID: 0009-0006-5919-6994
*Co esponding au ho : Fadima u Adamu Dahi u
Depa men o Science Labo a o y Technology, School o Science and Technology, Adamawa S a e Poly echnic, Yola.
O cid ID: 0009-0008-0378-7992
In oduc ion
The his o ical eliance on medicinal he bs, acknowledged as he o emos means o ea men a ailable o humani y, is
expe iencing a signi ican enaissance in con empo a y heal hca e. This enewed in e es is d i en by wo c i ical
challenges in mode n medicine: he escala ing p e alence o esis an mic obial species and he undesi able side e ec s
associa ed wi h many o hodox pha maceu ical agen s (Ojo e al., 2024). Consequen ly, he use o plan s and hei
de i ed p oduc s o managing a ious heal h challenges is apidly gaining ac ion. This shi is no un ounded, as na u e
has emained an au hen ic and p oli ic sou ce o he apeu ic agen s since p ehis o ic imes. The p o essional p ac ice o
adi ional medicine, which u ilizes a as pha macopoeia o plan s, is now well-es ablished and ecognized, pa icula ly
Abs ac
The escala ing c isis o an imic obial esis ance necessi a es he explo a ion o al e na i e he apeu ic agen s, wi h
medicinal plan s like Phyllan hus ni u i o e ing a p omising ese oi o bioac i e compounds. This s udy
in es iga ed he phy ochemical composi ion and an ibac e ial e icacy o aqueous and e hanol ex ac s o P.
ni u i agains key en e ic pa hogens: Esche ichia coli, Klebsiella sp., and Salmonella yphi. Phy ochemical
sc eening e ealed a ich p o ile o seconda y me aboli es, including alkaloids, la onoids, annins, saponins, and
e penes in bo h ex ac s. Howe e , he ex ac ion sol en signi ican ly in luenced he yield, wi h he e hanol ex ac
yielding highe concen a ions o saponins and la onoids, while he aqueous ex ac was iche in e penes and
annins. The an ibac e ial ac i i y, e alua ed using disc di usion and b o h mic odilu ion assays, was
concen a ion-dependen o all es ed bac e ia. The e hanol ex ac demons a ed supe io e icacy, wi h E.
coli being he mos suscep ible (MIC = 15.50 mg/mL), ollowed by Klebsiella sp. (MIC = 31.35 mg/mL) and S.
yphi (MIC = 55.20 mg/mL). The aqueous ex ac also showed signi ican , hough compa a i ely lowe , ac i i y
wi h a simila suscep ibili y pa e n (E. coli MIC = 15.56 mg/mL; Klebsiella sp. MIC = 30.35 mg/mL; S. yphi MIC
= 33.50 mg/mL). The po en an ibac e ial e ec is a ibu ed o he syne gis ic ac ion o he iden i ied
phy ochemicals. These indings p o ide a scien i ic alida ion o he adi ional use o P. ni u i in ea ing
gas oin es inal in ec ions and unde sco e he in luence o he ex ac ion sol en on bioac i i y. The esul s
posi ion P. ni u i, pa icula ly i s e hanol ex ac , as a compelling candida e o u he bioassay-guided
ac iona ion o isola e no el an imic obial compounds o comba ing d ug- esis an en e ic in ec ions.
Keywo ds: Phyllan hus ni u i; En e ic pa hogens; An imic obial esis ance; Minimum Inhibi o y Concen a ion
(MIC); Phy ochemicals; Medicinal plan s.
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in egions like Nige ia, whe e i ually all plan s a e conside ed o possess medicinal bene i s (Akinbo e al., 2025). This
con ex se s he s age o igo ous scien i ic inqui y in o he pu po ed e icacy o hese bo anical esou ces.
The he apeu ic po en ial o medicinal plan s is la gely a ibu ed o hei complex phy ochemis y, speci ically he
p esence o bioac i e seconda y me aboli es. These compounds, which include alkaloids, la onoids, phenolic
compounds, annins, saponins, and e penes, a e esponsible o a wide spec um o pha macological ac i i ies (Ezeonu e
al., 2024). Resea ch has demons a ed ha phy omedical agen s hold g ea p omise in he ea men o obs ina e
communicable diseases, wi h hei an ibac e ial p ope ies being o pa icula in e es . The me hod o ex ac ion is
c ucial, as s udies ha e shown ha e hanol ex ac s o en exhibi a b oade and mo e po en ange o ac i i y agains
human pa hogens compa ed o aqueous ex ac s (Adeleke e al., 2024). This sugges s ha e hanol is mo e e ec i e a
solubilizing key an imic obial componen s. Speci ic classes o compounds, such as i e penes and saponins, ha e been
asc ibed di e se biological ac i i ies, including analgesic, an ibac e ial, an imic obial, and an i i al e ec s (Okonkwo e
al., 2025).
Phyllan hus ni u i, a membe o he Eupho biaceae amily, is an annual he b ha exempli ies he concep o a " easu ed
weed." While a me s o en conside i a nuisance, adi ional medicine p ac i ione s e e e i o i s ex ensi e medicinal
applica ions (Bello and Yusu , 2024). Commonly known as "s oneb eake " o "seed-unde -lea ," his glab ous plan
g ows o 30-60 cm and is p e alen in opical egions, including Nige ia. The plan 's nomencla u e, de i ed om he
G eek o "lea and lowe ," e lec s i s unique lo al mo phology whe e he ep oduc i e pa s appea in eg a ed wi h he
lea es. E e y pa o P. ni u i, including i s ui s, lea es, oo s, milky juice, and he whole plan , is u ilized in a ious
he bal p epa a ions. I s adi ional uses a e ema kably di e se, encompassing he ea men o jaundice, gono hea,
diabe es, dysen e y, kidney s ones, e e s, and agini is, alongside ecognized an i i al and an ibac e ial p ope ies
(Suleiman e al., 2025).
The b oad adi ional use o P. ni u i o gas oin es inal and u ina y ac ailmen s, such as dysen e y, indiges ion,
dyspepsia, and bu ning mic u i ion, p o ides a compelling a ionale o in es iga ing i s e icacy agains en e ic bac e ia.
En e ic pa hogens a e a leading cause o global mo bidi y and mo ali y, and he ala ming ise o an ibio ic- esis an
s ains necessi a es he explo a ion o al e na i e he apeu ic agen s (Chukwuma e al., 2024). The plan 's documen ed
use o condi ions like ch onic dysen e y and i s pu po ed an ibac e ial p ope ies s ongly sugges he p esence o
bioac i e compounds capable o inhibi ing o killing bac e ia esiding in he in es inal ac . The e o e, a sys ema ic s udy
o e alua e he an ibac e ial ac i i y o P. ni u i speci ically agains a panel o en e ic bac e ia is no only jus i ied bu
also c i ically impo an . This esea ch di ec ion aligns pe ec ly wi h he ins inc o sel -p ese a ion ha has always
d i en man o seek cu es om his na u al en i onmen .
The in es iga ion in o Phyllan hus ni u i ep esen s a mic ocosm o he as , un apped po en ial esiding wi hin he plan
kingdom. I is es ima ed ha humani y has disco e ed only a ac ion o he bioac i e compounds exis ing in di e se
plan species, indica ing ha he p ospec s o esea ch in na u al medicine a e excep ionally b igh (Nnamonu e al.,
2025). Mode n scien i ic me hods, including ad anced phy ochemical analysis, plan issue cul u e, and bio echnology,
a e now pa ing he way o he disco e y and s anda dized p oduc ion o aluable na u al subs ances. By applying hese
igo ous in i o and in i o me hodologies o adi ionally e e ed plan s like P. ni u i, we can ansi ion om anecdo al
e idence o scien i ically alida ed da a (Igbokwe e al., 2024). Such esea ch holds he p omise o isola ing no el
an imic obial compounds o de eloping s anda dized he bal o mula ions ha can se e as adjunc s o al e na i es o
con en ional an ibio ics, he eby add essing he p essing global challenge o an imic obial esis ance.
Ma e ials and Me hods
Collec ion and P ocessing o Plan Ma e ial
F esh lea es o Phyllan hus ni u i used in his esea ch we e collec ed om he wild in Yola No h, Adamawa S a e,
Nige ia. A ouche specimen (No. 1562) was deposi ed and au hen ica ed a he Depa men o Fo es y, Adamawa S a e
Poly echnic, Yola, o con i m accu a e axonomic iden i ica ion. The lea es unde wen a sys ema ic p epa a ion p ocess:
hey we e insed wi h dis illed wa e o emo e deb is, ai -d ied a oom empe a u e un il a cons an weigh was eached,
and hen g ound in o a ine powde using a mechanical g inde .
This me iculous p epa a ion enhanced he e iciency o he ex ac ion p ocess. By educing pa icle size, he su ace a ea
o he plan ma e ial inc eased, allowing be e sol en pene a ion and imp o ed elease o in acellula bioac i e
cons i uen s. The powde ed ma e ial was s o ed in s e ilized, labeled con aine s a oom empe a u e (25–27°C) o
main ain he s abili y and in eg i y o he phy ochemicals un il ex ac ion.
Ex ac ion o C ude Ex ac s
Bo h e hanolic and aqueous ex ac ions we e ca ied ou using a e lux appa a us, ollowing he p ocedu e desc ibed by
Abaka e al. (2025). In his me hod, 200 g ams o inely powde ed Phyllan hus ni u i lea es we e ex ac ed wi h 800 mL
o analy ical-g ade me hanol. The ex ac ion was main ained a 45°C o wo hou s o ensu e op imal dissolu ion o
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phy ochemical cons i uen s. The esul ing mix u e was il e ed h ough a muslin clo h wi h a po e size o 0.75 µm o
sepa a e he solid esidue (ma c) om he c ude ex ac .
The il a e was concen a ed using a RE-6000 o a y e apo a o unde educed p essu e, wi h he wa e ba h empe a u e
main ained be ween 50°C and 60°C. This p ocess p oduced a semi-solid concen a ed ex ac . A e comple e emo al o
he sol en , he inal weigh o he c ude me hanolic ex ac was measu ed and eco ded o de e mine he pe cen age
yield.
Bac e ial Isola es
Th ee en e ic bac e ial isola es, Salmonella spp., Esche ichia coli, and Klebsiella spp., we e sou ced om he
Mic obiology Labo a o y o Modibbo Adama Uni e si y Teaching Hospi al, Yola, Adamawa S a e.
Biochemical Cha ac e iza ion o he Isola es
Following a 24-hou incuba ion pe iod a 37°C, he colony mo phology o he bac e ial isola es was examined, a e
which hey we e subjec ed o G am s aining and a se ies o biochemical es s o iden i ica ion, as desc ibed by Mamza e
al. (2016).
Phy ochemical Sc eening (Quali a i e Analysis)
A de ailed phy ochemical analysis o he Phyllan hus ni u i lea ex ac was ca ied ou o de e mine he p esence o key
seconda y me aboli es. The sc eening ollowed well-es ablished s anda d me hods ou lined in epu able pha macognosy
e e ences and ecen scien i ic s udies (Dahi u e al., 2024). These s anda dized p ocedu es we e sys ema ically applied
o iden i y a ious bioac i e compounds, he eby o e ing a quali a i e o e iew o he ex ac ’s phy ochemical
composi ion.
An imic obial Suscep ibili y Tes ing
P epa a ion o S anda dized Inoculum
To ensu e a consis en and quan i iable mic obial challenge o he an ibac e ial assays, a s anda dized inoculum o each
es o ganism was p epa ed. F esh o e nigh b o h cul u es we e u ilized. A suspension om each cul u e was dilu ed
wi h s e ile physiological saline (0.85% NaCl), and i s u bidi y was adjus ed o be equi alen o he 0.5 McFa land
s anda d. This p ocedu e yields a uni o m mic obial densi y o app oxima ely 1.5 x 10⁸ Colony Fo ming Uni s pe
millili e (CFU/mL). The eshly p epa ed s anda dized inoculum was hen employed o all subsequen an ibac e ial
ac i i y e alua ions, in acco dance wi h he es ablished me hod o Tiwa i e al. (2024).
An ibac e ial Ac i i y Assay
The an imic obial ac i i y o he ex ac s was assessed agains Klebsiella sp., Esche ichia coli, and Salmonella yphi.
Each bac e ial isola e was i s s eaked on nu ien aga pla es, hen inocula ed in o nu ien b o h and incuba ed a 37°C
o 24 hou s. The inhibi o y e ec o he ex ac s on bac e ial g ow h was e alua ed using he pape disc di usion
me hod wi h 5 mm diame e discs (Wha man No. 1 il e pape ). Each disc abso bed a maximum o 0.01 mL o solu ion.
Ex ac concen a ions o 1000 mg/mL we e p epa ed by dissol ing 1.0 g o ex ac in 1 mL o he app op ia e sol en ,
gi ing a inal concen a ion o 10 mg pe disc. The e hanolic ex ac was dissol ed in dime hyl sul oxide (DMSO) o
p e en in e e ence om he acidic na u e o e hanol.
Two aga pla es we e inocula ed o each bac e ial species, and wo discs imp egna ed wi h he ex ac (1000 mg/mL)
we e asep ically placed on each pla e using s e ile o ceps. The pla es we e p ope ly labeled and incuba ed a 37°C o 12
hou s. The pape discs we e s e ilized, o en-d ied a 170°C o 90 minu es, and cooled be o e use. A e incuba ion, he
diame e s o he inhibi ion zones we e measu ed in millime e s and eco ded acco dingly.
De e mina ion o Minimum Inhibi o y Concen a ion (MIC)
The Minimum Inhibi o y Concen a ion (MIC) was e alua ed using he s anda d b o h mic odilu ion me hod. A wo- old
se ial dilu ion o he plan ex ac was p epa ed in nu ien b o h, p oducing concen a ions anging om 1:10 o 1:0.125
o he o iginal s ock. Each dilu ion was inocula ed wi h a s anda dized bac e ial suspension o ob ain a inal densi y o
app oxima ely 1.0 × 10⁷ CFU/mL. The cul u es we e incuba ed a 37°C o 18–24 hou s. A e incuba ion, bac e ial
g ow h was de e mined by measu ing u bidi y a 600 nm using a spec opho ome e . The MIC was iden i ied as he
lowes concen a ion o he ex ac ha showed no isible u bidi y, indica ing o al inhibi ion o bac e ial g ow h,
ollowing he p ocedu e desc ibed by Abaka e al. (2024).
De e mina ion o Minimum Bac e icidal Concen a ion (MBC)
The Minimum Bac e icidal Concen a ion (MBC) was de e mined based on he MIC esul s o e alua e he killing
po en ial o he ex ac . F om each MIC ube ha exhibi ed no isible bac e ial g ow h, a loop ul o he b o h was
inocula ed on o eshly p epa ed nu ien aga pla es. The pla es we e incuba ed a 37°C o 18–24 hou s. The MBC was
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de ined as he lowes concen a ion o he ex ac ha showed no bac e ial colonies on he aga su ace, indica ing a
bac e icidal a he han bac e ios a ic e ec . This me hod was modi ied om Dahi u e al. (2023).
Da a analysis
Da a analysis was pe o med using SPSS e sion 21. The an imic obial e ec i eness o Phyllan hus ni u i was e alua ed
by de e mining he diame e o he inhibi ion zones (in millime e s). S a is ical signi icance was conside ed a a 95%
con idence in e al o esul s wi h a p- alue below 0.05.
Resul s
Table 1: Phy ochemical Composi ions o Phyllan hus ni u i lea ex ac
Cons i uen s
APN
EPN
Alkaloids
+
+
Saponins
+
++
Ca diac Glycosides
+
–
Reducing Suga s
–
+
S e oids
+
+
Te penes
++
+
Tannins
++
+
Fla onoids
+
++
Phenols
+
+
An h anoids
–
–
Key: APN = Aqueous P. ni u i EPN = E hanol P. ni u i + = P esen - = Absen
Table 2: E ec s o E hanol Ex ac s o Phyllan hus ni u i on he Diame e o Zones o Inhibi ion (mm) a Va ying
Concen a ions (mg/mL) Agains Tes Bac e ial Pa hogens
Bac e ial
Pa hogens
1000
500
250
125
62.5
31.25
15.625
MIC
(mg/mL)
Klebsiella sp.
12.63 ±
0.15
8.97 ±
0.56
8.10 ±
0.10
8.23 ±
0.25
6.33 ±
0.35
5.07 ±
0.21
–
31.35
Esche ichia coli
13.50 ±
0.20
10.03 ±
0.15
9.73 ±
0.55
9.43 ±
0.25
7.00 ±
0.10
6.37 ±
0.15
5.93 ±
0.12
15.50
Salmonella
yphi
10.10 ±
0.10
8.20 ±
0.30
7.10 ±
0.10
6.00 ±
0.10
5.37 ±
0.15
–
–
55.20
Key: (–) = No zone o inhibi ion MIC = Minimum Inhibi o y Concen a ion
Table 3: E ec s o Aqueous Ex ac s o Phyllan hus ni u i on he Diame e o Zones o Inhibi ion (mm) a Va ying
Concen a ions (mg/mL) Agains Tes Bac e ial Pa hogens
Bac e ial
Pa hogens
1000
500
250
125
62.5
31.25
15.625
MIC
(mg/mL)
Klebsiella sp.
9.37 ±
0.15
8.50 ±
0.10
7.17 ±
0.21
7.60 ±
0.10
5.23 ±
0.25
3.20 ±
0.26
–
30.35
Esche ichia coli
11.30 ±
0.30
10.30 ±
0.36
9.30 ±
0.20
9.20 ±
0.10
8.03 ±
0.15
5.77 ±
0.47
4.10 ±
0.10
15.56
Salmonella
yphi
12.20 ±
0.20
10.17 ±
0.35
10.00 ±
0.20
9.20 ±
0.20
6.10 ±
0.10
3.30 ±
0.36
–
33.50
Key: (–) = No zone o inhibi ion MIC = Minimum Inhibi o y Concen a ion
Discussion
The phy ochemical composi ion o Phyllan hus ni u i was in es iga ed using bo h aqueous (APN) and e hanol (EPN)
ex ac s. Analysis con i med a ich a ay o seconda y me aboli es, including alkaloids, saponins, s e oids, e penes,
annins, la onoids, and phenols in bo h ex ac s. Howe e , he sol en ype signi ican ly in luenced he yield o speci ic
compounds. The e hanol ex ac was pa icula ly e ec i e a ex ac ing saponins and la onoids, showing highe
concen a ions, whe eas he aqueous ex ac con ained g ea e le els o e penes and annins. Sol en -speci ic ex ac ions
we e also no ed, wi h ca diac glycosides ound only in he aqueous ex ac and educing suga s exclusi ely in he e hanol
ex ac . No an h anoids we e de ec ed in ei he ex ac .
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This phy ochemical p o ile p o ides a scien i ic ounda ion o he plan 's adi ional medicinal applica ions, pa icula ly
i s an ibac e ial e ec s. The iden i ica ion o known an imic obial compounds such as alkaloids, la onoids, annins, and
e penes is consis en wi h ea lie s udies on Nige ian P. ni u i (Akinbo e al., 2023; Suleiman e al., 2025). The
an imic obial ac ion can be a ibu ed o he documen ed p ope ies o hese me aboli es; o example, annins can inhibi
mic obial enzymes, and la onoids a e known o dis up bac e ial cell memb anes (Okonkwo e al., 2025). The ele a ed
le els o la onoids and saponins in he e hanol ex ac align wi h indings ha alcoholic sol en s mo e e icien ly ex ac
hese pola , bioac i e componen s om medicinal plan s, which o en ansla es o s onge ac i i y agains pa hogens
(Ezeonu e al., 2024). The selec i e ex ac ion o ca diac glycosides by wa e and o educing suga s by e hanol
unde sco es how sol en pola i y dic a es he speci ic phy ochemical p o ile ob ained (Bello & Yusu , 2024).
Consequen ly, he po en an ibac e ial ac ion o P. ni u i, especially om i s e hanol ex ac , can be linked o his
syne gis ic combina ion o an imic obial compounds, highligh ing i s p omise o u u e esea ch in o no el an imic obial
agen s.
A ma ked an ibac e ial e ec was obse ed o he c ude ex ac , which ac ed in a concen a ion-dependen manne
agains all en e ic pa hogens examined. Among he es ed bac e ia, Esche ichia coli displayed he highes le el o
suscep ibili y, exhibi ing a Minimum Inhibi o y Concen a ion (MIC) o 15.50 mg/mL. This was ollowed
by Klebsiella sp. (MIC 31.35 mg/mL), wi h Salmonella yphi (MIC 55.20 mg/mL) p o ing o be he leas suscep ible. A
de ini i e dose- esponse ela ionship was es ablished, as e idenced by a s ong co ela ion be ween inc easing ex ac
concen a ion and he expanding mean zones o inhibi ion o all suscep ible bac e ia.
This esea ch p o ides clea e idence ha he e hanol ex ac o Phyllan hus ni u i has subs an ial an ibac e ial p ope ies
agains clinically signi ican en e ic pa hogens. The cha ac e is ic concen a ion-dependen inhibi ion, isible as a
p og essi e educ ion in he zones o inhibi ion wi h each dilu ion, con i ms a ue an imic obial impac , consis en wi h
he known beha io o bioac i e plan compounds (Chukwuma e al., 2023). The a ia ion in suscep ibili y,
whe e Esche ichia coli is he mos ulne able, sugges s ha he ac i e cons i uen s in P. ni u i likely a ge speci ic
cellula s uc u es ha di e among hese G am-nega i e bac e ia. This ac i i y p o ile lends scien i ic suppo o he
plan 's adi ional applica ion in ea ing gas oin es inal in ec ions like dia hea and dysen e y, o en caused by hese
pa hogens (Adebayo e al., 2021).
The ex ac 's p onounced e ec agains E. coli is a signi ican esul . This g ea e sensi i i y could be due o s uc u al
di e ences in he ou e memb ane o mo e e ec i e e lux mechanisms in Salmonella yphi and Klebsiella sp. ha
p o ide inhe en esis ance (Nnamani e al., 2022). The po en an ibac e ial ac ion, especially a ele a ed concen a ions,
is p obably he esul o a syne gis ic combina ion o a ious phy ochemicals ound in P. ni u i, including la onoids,
annins, and e penes. As Olo unda e e al. (2024) no ed, he an imic obial s eng h o Nige ian medicinal plan s ypically
a ises om he combined ac ion o mul iple bioac i e compounds a ge ing di e en mic obial si es, a he han a single
en i y. The e o e, his s udy i mly es ablishes Phyllan hus ni u i as a compelling subjec o u u e esea ch in ol ing
bioassay-guided ac iona ion o pinpoin he speci ic an ibac e ial compounds.
The aqueous ex ac o Phyllan hus ni u i displayed signi ican an ibac e ial e ec s agains en e ic pa hogens in a
concen a ion-dependen manne . Esche ichia coli p o ed mos ulne able wi h a minimum inhibi o y concen a ion
(MIC) o 15.56 mg/mL, while Klebsiella sp. (MIC 30.35 mg/mL) and Salmonella yphi (MIC 33.50 mg/mL)
demons a ed mode a e and simila suscep ibili y pa e ns. A dis inc in e se ela ionship was e iden be ween he ex ac
concen a ion and inhibi ion zones ac oss all es ed bac e ial species.
This in es iga ion e i ies ha he aqueous ex ac o Phyllan hus ni u i main ains subs an ial an ibac e ial p ope ies
agains c ucial en e ic pa hogens, suppo ing i s adi ional applica ion in Nige ian he bal medicine o managing
dia hoea and dysen e y (Akinbo and Eze, 2023). The a ying suscep ibili y pa e ns, wi h E. coli showing he g ea es
sensi i i y, indica e ha wa e -soluble componen s in he plan can e ec i ely inhibi bac e ial g ow h h ough
po en ially di e en mechanisms. The consis en dose- esponse ela ionship, demons a ed h ough diminishing
inhibi ion zones wi h dilu ion, con i ms he p esence o genuine an imic obial compounds in he aqueous ex ac (Ibe e
al., 2024).
The ele a ed MIC alues compa ed o o ganic sol en ex ac s om o he s udies indica e limi ed solubili y o ce ain
bioac i e compounds in wa e . Ne e heless, he demons a ed an ibac e ial ac i i y can be a ibu ed o pola
cons i uen s like annins and wa e -compa ible la onoids ha a e known o dis up cellula memb anes and inhibi
essen ial enzymes (Nweze and Oka o , 2022). The simila suscep ibili y p o iles be ween Klebsiella sp. and Salmonella
yphi migh indica e sha ed ulne abili y o he ex ac 's mechanism o ac ion, possibly in ol ing ou e memb ane
dis up ion, while E. coli appea s pa icula ly suscep ible. As emphasized by Ade oye e al. (2025), he e ec i eness o
aqueous ex ac s holds special ele ance since i co ela es di ec ly wi h adi ional p epa a ion me hods using wa e as
he ex ac ion sol en . These esul s no only alida e he e hnomedicinal uses o P. ni u i bu also sugges he easibili y
o de eloping s anda dized aqueous-based o mula ions as accessible complemen a y he apeu ics.
Global J Res Med Sci. 2025; 5(6), 60-66
@ 2025 | PUBLISHED BY GJR PUBLICATION, INDIA
65
Conclusion
The p esen in es iga ion alida es he e icacy o Phyllan hus ni u i lea ex ac s agains common en e ic pa hogens
such as Esche ichia coli, Klebsiella species, and Salmonella yphi. Bo h aqueous and e hanolic ex ac s demons a ed a
dose-dependen an ibac e ial e ec , wi h E. coli showing he g ea es sensi i i y. Enhanced an imic obial po ency was
obse ed in he e hanolic ex ac , indica ing supe io ex ac ion o an ibac e ial phy ocons i uen s using e hanol as a
sol en .
Quali a i e phy ochemical p o iling iden i ied mul iple an imic obial seconda y me aboli es, including alkaloids,
la onoids, annins, saponins, e penes, and phenolic compounds. These esul s p o ide scien i ic suppo o he
adi ional applica ion o P. ni u i in managing gas oin es inal and u ina y ac diso de s. O e all, his esea ch
unde sco es Phyllan hus ni u i as a p omising sou ce o na u al an ibac e ial agen s. I s demons a ed e icacy agains
clinically ele an en e ic bac e ia highligh s i s po en ial o u he pha macological explo a ion and d ug de elopmen .
Fu u e wo k should ocus on bioassay-guided ac iona ion, compound isola ion, and mechanis ic s udies o iden i y and
cha ac e ize he speci ic ac i e cons i uen s esponsible o i s an ibac e ial ac ion. Such e o s could con ibu e o he
de elopmen o no el plan -based he apeu ics, o e ing sa e and e ec i e al e na i es in he igh agains an ibio ic-
esis an in ec ions.
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