Abstract

Currently, almost 80% of the world’s population, primarily in Africa and other poor countries, rely entirely on traditional or herbal medicine for disease treatment. While numerous chemicals originating from traditional medicinal plants have made their way into present pharmaceutical practises as a result of considerable research and development of drugs, there are still a number of plants with potential therapeutic value that remain mainly undiscovered. The study aimed at analysing the phytochemical profile of Paulownia elongata root and bark extract using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and evaluating its antibacterial potential. The roots of P. elongata were collected, dried, and extracted with methanol. The extracted compounds analyzed by GC-MS revealed the presence of 20 chemical/bioactive constituents. The major compounds identified were theobromine, oleic acid, oxime-methoxyphenyl, and methyl stearate. The antibacterial activity of the extract was assessed against four bacterial strains: Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Clostridium bolulinum, and Escherichia coli. The well method of the agar dilution was used to determine the antibacterial activity, and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined. The results showed that methanolic extract of P. elongata roots exhibited significant antibacterial activity against the tested bacterial strains, with varying degrees of inhibition. The antibacterial potential of the roots extract showed higher activity at 300 mg/ kg/bwt with 18.12+0.9 mm on Salmonella typhi and at 400 mg/kg/bwt with inhibition rate 20.14+ 0.0 mm on Klebsiella pneumonia. From the findings of this study, P. elongata root extract contains bioactive compounds and possesses antibacterial potential. These findings support the traditional use of Paulownia species in traditional medicine and highlight its potential as a source of novel antibacterial agents. Further research is warranted to isolate and characterize the active compounds and investigate their mechanisms of action.

Keywords

phytochemicals, Paulownia elongate, medicinal plants, gram positive bacteria, gram negative bacteria