Journal Article

Phytochemical And Antimicrobial Activity of Azadirachta indica, Vernonia amygdalina and Anogeissus leiocarpus Twig Extracts on Dental Pathogens

Abstract

This study aimed at exploring the antibacterial potentials of methanol extracts of three plants namelyAzadirachta indica (Neem), Vernonia amygdalina (Bitter leaf), and Anogeissus leiocarpus (AfricanBirch) twigs on dental pathogens; Streptococcus mutans and Staphyllococcus aureus. The bacterialisolates were obtained from the infected tooth of four different individuals at General Hospital Lapai,Niger State. The extracts were prepared and their antibacterial properties were examined using standardmethods. Using the zone of inhibition as an inhibitory parameter, the results shows that Anogeissusleiocarpus at 90 mg/mL (25 mm) was the most effective against S. aureus. The effectiveness of variousextracts against S. aureus were in the decreasing order of Anogeissus leiocarpus (25 mm) >Vernoniaamygdalina (20 mm) >Azadirachta indica (8 mm), while their effectiveness against S. mutans were in thedecreasing order of A. indica (20 mm) >A. leiocarpus (15 mm) >V. amygdalina (00 mm). Distortions inthe growth patterns of these dental pathogens and subsequent inhibition in growth as the concentrationsincreases, suggests that these plants may be valuable in the management of human dental diseases.

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