antibacterial efficacy of garcinia kola (heckel) seedsagainst bacteria involved in throat infections

Throat infections are common causes for visiting health care centres. this study is aimed atinvestigating the antibacterial efficacy of garcinia kola (commonly called bitter kola) seeds againstbacteria involved in throat infections. twenty clinical and 4 typed bacterial isolates associated withthroat infections were obtained. extraction from g. kola seeds using ethanol, methanol, ethylacetate, acetone, hot and cold water as extraction solvents was done. phytochemical analyses ofextracts, antibacterial efficacy, mic (minimum inhibitory concentration) and mbc (minimumbactericidal concentration) of extracts on test isolates using ciprofloxacin as positive control andmechanisms of action of extract were carried out. ethyl acetate extract was most effective againststreptococcus pneumoniae with 29±0.58 mm zone of inhibition while hot water extract was theleast with 6.00±0.58 mm against s. pyogenes. ethyl acetate extract again showed the lowest micand mbc at 6.25 mg/ml and 12.5 mg/ml against s. aureus, respectively. the mechanism of actionof ethyl acetate extract is attributed to cell wall disruption with highest leakages of na+ and k+ in k.pneumoniae obtained at 350 cmol/kg and 82 cmol/kg, respectively, while the highest leakage ofproteins was obtained in s. aureus at 88.55±5.34 mg/ml. time-kill kinetics of the extract alsoshowed reduction in number of bacterial cells at 30 min intervals. these results prove that the ethylacetate extract of g. kola seeds is of best efficacy against the tested bacteria involved in throatinfections