Investigation of the Phytochemical Contents and Antimicrobial Effects of Telfairia Occidentalis on Microorganisms

aureus was more vulnerable to the ethanol, acetone, and hot aqueous extracts of T. occidentalis . At the same time, P. aeruginosa and C. Albicans showed sensitivity to ethanol and acetone exposure but failed to react to the hot aqueous extracts. The study concludes that the observed biological reactions shown by the aqueous extracts of T. occidentalis corroborate the traditional application of this plant as an alternative antibiotic. Table showing the observed zone of inhibition of ethanol extract on T. occidentalis seed and leaf against some pathogenic organisms. Exposing the microorganisms to the aqueous extract of seed for sensitivity revealed the same 8mm diameter of inhibition zone (36.89% and 37.10%), respectively, for C. Albicans and S. aureus . However, P. aeruginosa possessed a minimal 5mm (6.78%) diameter inhibition zone than C. Albicans and S. aureus . The test on an ethanol extract of the leaf shows that S. aureus produced a high diameter of inhibition zone of 7mm (36.26%) while C. albicans produced lower with 3mm (12.45%) diameter of inhibition zone.

The rise in several deadly diseases like infections by multidrugresistant bacteria implies re-inventing the wheel on drug discovery. Perhaps, extensive research has been dedicated to identifying alternatives to mitigating the effects of antibiotics resistance. Over the years, plants have contributed significantly to traditional medicine, proven effective in human health care, and were extensively used as alternative antibiotics in certain conditions. Thus, the current study's primary purpose is to determine the phytochemical contents and the antimicrobial activity of T. occidentalison microorganisms, including Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans. The result of the phytochemical analysis conducted on the leaf and seed of T. occidentalisrevealed alkaloids, tannin, steroids, flavonoids, phenol, and saponins. However, it was found that tannins and phenol were mainly deposited in the plant's seed. Also, the antimicrobial analysis conducted revealed that S. aureus was more vulnerable to the ethanol, acetone, and hot aqueous extracts of T. occidentalis. At the same time, P. aeruginosa and C. Albicans showed sensitivity to ethanol and acetone exposure but failed to react to the hot aqueous extracts. The study concludes that the observed biological reactions shown by the aqueous extracts of T. occidentaliscorroborate the traditional application of this plant as an alternative antibiotic.    (Nkiru, 2018). Although T. occidentalishas been widely studied and its phytochemical properties and activities established. The present study intends to further assess existing evidence from the literature on the antimicrobial effects of T. occidentalison bacteria. Thus, the current study's primary purpose is to determine the phytochemical contents and the antimicrobial activity of T. occidentalison Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans.

Sample Extraction Aqueous Extract
Ten grams of the ground sample of the plant stem bark and leaf of T. occidentalis were extracted and added to 100ml of sterile distilled. The extraction of the plant's aqueous components was done following the method adopted inAbdulmalik et al. 1042

Phytochemical Screening of T. occidentalis
Phytochemical screening of the T. occidentalisleaf and seed extracts was conducted to ascertain bioactive components such as alkaloids, tannins, saponins, steroids, phenols, and flavonoids using the standard qualitative method as previously described by Trease and Evans (1989).

Sterility Test of the Plant Extracts
The plant's aqueous extract was tested for sterility following sterilization by inoculating 1 mL of each extract on sterile nutrient agar incubated at 37°C for 24 hours. Perhaps, the plates were carefully observed for growth.

Standardization of the Bacterial Cell Suspension
McFarland standard (Washington, 2011)was adopted to test for the standardization of the bacterial suspension. Colonies of the tested organism were picked into a sterile test tube containing sterile nutrient broth and incubated for one day.

Determination of Antimicrobial Activities
The crude extracts' antimicrobial activity was conducted using the agar well diffusion method described inChaman et al. (2013)with few modifications. The above table shows the outcome of the aqueous screening conducted on the leaf and seed of T. occidentalis,indicates that the plant contains a significant number of alkaloids, tannin, steroids, flavonoids, phenol, and saponins. However, the screening revealed tannins and phenols in the seed and not the plant's leaf.  Table showing the observed zone of inhibition of ethanol extract on T. occidentalisseed and leaf against some pathogenic organisms. Exposing the microorganisms to the aqueous extract of seed for sensitivity revealed the same 8mm diameter of inhibition zone (36.89% and 37.10%), respectively, for C. Albicans and S. aureus. However, P. aeruginosa possessed a minimal 5mm (6.78%) diameter inhibition zone thanC. Albicans and S. aureus. The test on an ethanol extract of the leaf shows that S. aureus produced a high diameter of inhibition zone of 7mm (36.26%) while C. albicans produced lower with 3mm (12.45%) diameter of inhibition zone. The table above shows the test organisms' sensitivity parameter when exposed to an acetone extract of T. occidentalisseed and leaf. The result indicated a high diameter of inhibition zones of 15mm for P. aeruginosa and S. aureus (31.36% and 36.10%), respectively, when tested with acetone seed extract of T. occidentalis. However, C. Albicans produced a reduced diameter of inhibition zones of 8mm (21.38%). Furthermore, it was revealed that C. Albicans produced an increased diameter of inhibition zones of 7mm (41.19%) when subjected to acetone leaf extract of T. occidentalis. .10 r -The organisms were exposed to hot aqueous extract of the plant. Only one pathogenic organism (S. aureus) exhibited a reaction with the 8mm diameter of inhibition zone. Thus, other organisms maintained a resistant position towards the extract.

Discussion:-
The present study was conducted to assess the phytochemical constituents and antimicrobial activity of fluted pumpkins on Candida albicans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, andStaphylococcus aureus. The result of the phytochemical analysis conducted on the leaf and seed of T. occidentalisrevealed the presence of alkaloids, tannin, steroids, flavonoids, phenol, and saponins. However, it was found that tannins and phenol were mainly deposited in the plant's seed. Thus, the study is consistent with previous studies (