Bioactive Chemical Constituents Screening and Inhibitory Activities of Methanol Extract of Oecophylla Longinoda (Tailor Ant) Against Some Pathogens

Abstract

Traditional medicine practice in Benin City, Nigeria involves the use
of many natural products originating from medicinal plants, certain
animals like ants, snail, mineral ores, mushroom and a host of other
fauna and flora species. In this study, the bioactive chemical
constituents and antimicrobial potency of Oecophylla longinoda
(Tailor ant) extract were investigated. The Tailor ants were collected
from their natural habitat in a nest and extracted with methanol in
soxhlet extractor apparatus. The ant crude extract was concentrated
using a rotary evaporator (Model RE, 200, USA) and bioactive
chemical constituents screening was performed using standard
methods. The antimicrobial activity was conducted according to agar
well diffusion method while alkaloid fraction was obtained from the
ant extract using separation by extraction and characterized by infrared (I.R) analysis. The result indicated that saponins, terpenes, and
alkaloid were present among others in the extract. The antimicrobial
analysis revealed zones of inhibition at a concentration of 100 mg/mL:
20 mm (Pseudomonas aeruginosa), 27 mm (Staphylococcus aureus),
20 mm (Escherichia coli) while Aspergillus niger and Penicillium
notatum both had 27 mm. For the antifungal activity, inhibition
against Mucormycetes increased as the concentration decreased but
at the highest concentration of 100 mg/mL, there was no activity. All
the extract concentration showed a dose dependent activity when
compared with the standard control antibiotics (Ciprofloxacin).
However, high zones of inhibition were observed with low
concentration of the ant extract. The study revealed that Oecophylla
longinoda (Tailor ant) extract contains bioactive constituents with
high antimicrobial activity.