Evaluation of secondary metabolites, antibacterial, antiplasmodial and acute toxicity potentials of chloroform crude extract of Boswellia dalzielii stem bark

Medicinal plants contain bioactive compounds that have the potentials to cure many human ailments without unnecessary side effects like most of the chemotherapeutic drugs used today. Therefore, the need for phytochemicals in medicinal plants for potentials application in the treatments of these human ailments as alternatives. Drug resistance parasite has rendered most of the drugs used in treating many human diseases ineffective. There is an urgent need and continuous search for new drugs from natural sources because most of the drugs used are either derived from plant or end-product of the natural source. Antibacterial and antiplasmodial activities of Boswellia dalzielii stem bark chloroform extract against some pathogens and P. bergei was investigated using the serial dilution method. Phytochemical studies (GC-MS RT profiling) revealed the presence of some secondary metabolites.The extract was tested against thirteen bacterial strains (Styphylococcus epidermidis, Mycobacterium smegmatis, Enterococcus faecalis, Styplococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis) and Gram-negative strains Klebsiella aerugninosa, Proteus vulgaris, K. pneumonia, Klebsiella oxytoca,Entrobacter cloacae, Peptostreptococcus asaccharolyticus, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis). Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and the Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of the extract showed activities against Mycobacterium smegmatis,Escherichia coli, Klebsiella oxytoca, Klebsiella aerugninosa and Proteus vulgaris. The extract demonstrated high safety with LD50 value greater than 5000 mg/kg body weight. The extract shows a high potent of antiplasmodial activities with P. bargie inhibition of 66.95%. The results demonstrated that Boswelliadalzielii stem bark extract can be used as a source of cheaper, less toxic novel antibiotic and antimalarial substances for drug development.