Antibacterial activity of methanolic extract of Garcinia kola (Heckel) seed and standard antibiotics

Abstract

The methanolic extract of Garcinia kola (Heckel) seeds and eight standard antibiotics were tested in-vitro for comparative activity against 10 isolates of each of six bacterial species: Escherichia coff. Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus albus. Streptococcus pyogenes, streptococcus pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, all from throat infections. The methanolic extract exerted activity against all the bacteria tested almost in similar manner as gentamicin. Of the remaining seven standard antibiotics, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, and tetracycline showed activity against one organism or the other. Remarkably, augmentin, cloxaciilin and cotrimoxazole had no activity against any of the bacterial isolates. Amoxycillin was able to affect only 2 of die 8 isolates of Esch. coli. This has lent credence to the ethnopharmaceutical claims of the curative effect of raw-chewed Garcinia kola seeds on throat infections as well as highlighting the bacterial resistance to standard antibiotics, particularly, the ß-lactams.