Phytochemical and nutritional potentials of various parts (leaf, stem and root) of Talinum triangulare were evaluated using standard techniques. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was employed in data analysis. All the parts of the species were found to contain nutrient compositions in varying levels. Dry matter and carbohydrate were highest in the stem (91.69±0.12 and 68.66±0.01) respectively. Moisture, ash content and crude fibre were highest in the root (9.78±0.04, 17.53±0.11and 15.32±0.03) respectively while ether extract and crude protein were highest in the leaf (1.09±0.01 and 17.72±0.17) respectively. The results showed also varying quantities of the phytochemicals in the leaf, stem and root with some parts lacking some of the phytochemicals. The leaf contained the highest percentage of all the phytochemical investigated alkaloid, flavonoid, tannin, sterol, Terpenoid, phenol and saponin (0.47±0.01, 0.26±0.00, 0.36±0.07, 0.03±0.01, 0.42±0.02, 0.02±0.01and 0.68±0.05 respectively. The root lacked sterol and phenol while stem lacked only phenol. The leaf, stem and root lacked cyanogenic glycoside. The results have indicated that these parts of the Talinum triangulare investigated are very nutritious and possessed bioactive compounds that could be extracted for the manufacture of new drug, food supplements and also be used in ethnomedicine for the treatment of diseases.
Aqueous and ethanolic leaf and stem extracts of Gnetum africanum were investigated for the presence and composition of these phytochemicals (alkaloid, flavonoid, tannin, phenol, saponin, sterol, terpenoid and cyanogenic glycoside) and their antifungal and antibacterial activities at various concentrations against some selected clinical microbes (fungal strains: Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger and bacterial strains: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi) using standard methods. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed in data analysis. Qualitative and percent quantitative phytochemical results showed that both the aqueous and ethanolic leaf and stem extracts contained these phytochemicals assayed but at varied quantities except cyanogenic glycoside. Antifungal and antibacterial studies indicated that both the aqueous and ethanolic leaf and stem extracts of Gnetum africanum inhibited the growth of the microbes but at varied levels and the inhibition was extracts concentration dependent. However, both the aqueous and ethanolic leaf and stem extracts showed no inhibition against the bacterial strains at 50 mg mLG 1 of the extracts. The extracts showed higher inhibition against the fungal strains than the bacterial strains. Inhibitory effect of the leaf extract was significantly higher than those of the stem extract. The ethanol extract showed significantly higher inhibition than the aqueous extract. Antibiotics had a better activity when compared to the extracts at the same concentration. Gnetum africanum extracts were biostatic in their action, when purified will give a product with higher activity. The data obtained from the study indicated that the plant possessed antifungal and antibacterial potentials especially antifungal and could be used as natural fungicides.
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