Antimicrobial Activities and Phytochemical Screening of two Tropical Nigerian Chewing Sticks
Bankole, P. O.; Adekunle, A. A; Oyede, R. T; Faparusi, F.; Adewole, A.

Abstract
Massularia accuminata “Pako Ijebu” G. Don Bullock ex. Hoyle and Distemonanthus benthamianus “Orin Ayan” Baillon (Movingui) are chewing sticks widely used for oral and dental care among the rural natives in the tropical regions of Nigeria. Antimicrobial activity two tropical Nigerian chewing stick was carried out against Aspergillus niger (ATCC 23867), Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ATCC 2601), Proteus mirabilis (ATCC 27673), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), and Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 23873) using agar well diffusion method. It was discovered that Massularia accuminata showed a great antibacterial and antifungal effects than Distemonanthus benthamianus. In vitro studies showed that all the test organisms were susceptible to the inhibitory properties of both the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the two chewing sticks. These inhibitory properties had been attributed to the presence of phytochemicals (glycosides, alkaloids, saponin, tannins, flavonoids anthocyanin, anthraquinone and phlobatannin) in the chewing sticks. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) ranged from 0.1g/l – 0.3g/l for the two chewing sticks. The research has demonstrated the fact that Massularia accuminata is better for orodental care and hygiene than Distemonanthus benthamianus.

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