Abstract

BENZENETRIOLS AND SATURATED FATTY ACIDS ISOLATED FROM THE STEM BARK EXTRACTS OFPentaclethra macrophylla BENTH.

Usifoh Cyril, Udobre Aniefiok*, Isang Mandu and Bassey Augustine

Abstract

Pentaclethra macrophylla (African Oil Bean) tree is a plant found in the forest zone of West and Central Africa. In Nigeria the stem bark of the plant is boiled with water and gaggled in the mouth for oral troubles, dental cavies and toothaches.This study attempts to evaluate the antimicrobial activities of the methanol extract of the stem bark of the plant. The result of the phytochemical screening revealed that the extract contained alkaloids, tannins, terpenes, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, saponins carbohydrates and polyphenols. In the antimicrobial study the extract (100 mg/ml) inhibited Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus spp. (clinical isolate), Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Salmonella compared to the positive control (1.0mg/ml chloramphenicol). The column chromatography of the extract yielded two samples.The gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and Fourier Transform – infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) of these samples afforded three Benzenetriols namely: 1,3,5 – Benzenetriol(phloroglucine),1,2,3-Benzenetriol(Fourrine), 1,2,4-Benzenetriol (Hydroxyhydroquinone) and three saturated fatty acids namely: n-Hexadecanoic acid (palmitic acid), n-tetradecanoic acid (myristic acid) and n-Dodecanoic acid (Lauric acid).

Keywords: Benzenetriols, Saturated fatty acids,Methanol extract, Pentaclethra macrophylla.