Asoso et al. Release of sodium and potassium ions of Calotropis procera pp. 26-39
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e - ISSN: 2602-8360 - Volumen. 2, Nº 2, Junio – Noviembre 2018
INTRODUCTION
Calotropis. procera holds a reputed position as a
medicinal plant in different systems of medicine In
India. All parts possess valuable medicinal properties.
According to Ayurvedic medicine, the whole plant is
alexipharmic and cures leprosy, ulcers, and spleen
and liver diseases. The juice is laxative, anthelmintic
and cures piles. Root bark is diaphoretic ad cures
asthma and syphilis. Flowers are analgesic, astringent
and cure inammations ad tumors. Basu and
Chaudhuri (1) found anti-inammatory activity in rats
of a chloroform-soluble fraction from the roots. Jain et
al. (2) investigated antimicrobial activity of C. procera.
The maximum inhibitory activity was observed in
ethanol extracts of root bark against Enterobacter
cloaceae and of stem against Fusarium moniliforme.
The Latex of C. procera is used in traditional medicine
as a purgative, antisyphylitic and antiodontalgic agent
and as a cure for verrucas.
Extracts from latex, leaves and owers in Morocco
had more effect on yeasts than on fungi. According
to the Unani system of Medicine (3), this plant is
useful against leprosy, scabies, and ringworm of the
scalp, piles, asthma, liver and spleen enlargement
and dropsy. Calotropis procera extracts can be used
as a coagulant in cheese-making (4) (5). The uses of
this plant from NIF (National Innovation Foundation)
database for Asthma; the ower powder is been used,
Ear Ache; the latex of the plant is used, according to
literature the plant extract is used as bronchodilator
(6); ower buds of Calotropis, along with black pepper
seeds and salt, are crushed to make pills the size of
small peas.
The number of mechanisms exists for the antimicrobial
activities of many antimicrobial agents including plant
extracts (7).There has not been any information on
the release of sodium and potassium ions by extract
from Calotropis procera. The present studies was
aimed at determining the leakage of sodium ions
by extracts of Calotropis procera on some selected
pathogenic bacteria so as to determine whether the
antimicrobial activities and medicinal properties of the
plants is due to leakage of protoplasmic materials or
not (8)(9).
Materials and method
Collection of plant samples
Apparently healthy plant namely C. procera were
collected from Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State Nigeria.
Preparations of Plant Extracts
The plants parts leave and stem were air-dried
for 5 weeks at room temperature (25 + 2 oC) and
then ground to powder with a mechanical grinder
(Thomas Wiley machine, model 5 USA). Powders
(200gs) of each plant were extracted with 1litre
of sterile aqueous water, ethanol, methanol and
acetone separately at room temperature (25 + 2
oC). They were labeled as crude extracts.
Sources of test isolates
They include type cultures of bacteria and fungi
from American type culture collection center
(ATCC) at NIMR (Nigeria Institute of medical
research) and the clinical isolates from the stock
Bacteria
Shigella dysenteriae, S. dysenteriae ATCC 24162,
E. coli, E. coli ATCC 35218, Staphylococcus
aureus, S. aureus ATCC 25923, Salmonella typhi,
S. typhi ATCC 22648, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, P.
aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Klebsiella pneumoniae,
and K. pneumoniae ATCC 34089
Determination of sodium and potassium ion
leakage
Exactly 0.5 ml each of the standardized organism
was added to 4.5 ml of the prepared concentration
of the leaf extracts and then incubated for 18 hours.
The solution was centrifuged at 7000 revolutions
per minute (r. p. m.) and the supernatant analyzed
using a flame photometer at 589 nm and 766 nm
for sodium and potassium ion leakage respectively.
The sodium and potassium ion leakage was
determined using the method of Oladunmoye et al.
(10).
RESULTS
The amount of sodium released by leaf extract
using some typed isolates namely S. dysenteriae
ATCC 24162, K. pneumonia ATCC 34089 and E.
coli ATCC 35218; E. coli ATCC 35218 had the
highest amount of sodium in methanol-leaf extract
(Figure 1a). The content of potassium released by
leaf extracts especially for methanol leaf extracts
was higher for both E. coli ATCC 35218 and S.
dysenteriae ATCC 24162 with value of 0.9 mg/ml
(Figure 1b).