Phytochemical Screening and Antibacterial Activity of Cassia Sieberiana DC. (Fabaceae) and Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides (Lam.) Zepernick et Timler (Rutaceae) Leaves Extracts on Escherichia Coli Involved in Urinary Tract Infections

Aims: Cassia sieberiana and Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides are plants identified during an ethnobotanical survey, to threat urinary tract infections. The aim of this study was to investigate the antibacterial activity of aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts obtained from leaves of C. sieberiana and Z. zanthoxyloides. t.

Methodology: Phytochemical compounds were identified using colorimetric and precipitation methods. The sensitivity of isolates to plant extracts and their level of resistance to conventional antibiotics were assessed by agar diffusion on Escherichia coli isolates from patients with urinary tract infections. Antibacterial parameters were determined by culture in liquid medium coupled with spreading on Mueller Hinton agar.

Results: The investigations revealed a predominance of tannins, flavonoids, polyphenols, saponins, terpenes and sterols, but an absence of alkaloids and phenolic acids in the plants extracts studied. The bacteria selected for the study showed high levels of resistance to cephalosporins, quinolones, penicillins and cyclins, but high sensitivity to aminoglycosides. These isolates were found to be resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics, with an ESBL phenotype. C. sieberiana extracts achieved inhibition diameters ranging from 09.5 ± 0.5 to 22.33 ± 1.78 mm. All strains were sensitives to these extracts. E. coli strain (Ech Dam) was the most sensitive to the decoctate of the aqueous extract, with an inhibition diameter of 22.33 ± 0.89 mm. All strains studied were equally sensitive to aqueous extract and C. sieberiana decoctate, and to gentamicin as a reference molecule. No significant difference was observed between the inhibition diameters of gentamicin and those of crude C. sieberiana extracts.

Conclusion: Antibacterial activities of the extracts would justify the use of C. sieberiana leaves in traditional environments. However, Z. zanthoxyloides leaves extracts showed no activity on all the strains tested. Their use would therefore be unrelated to the roots and not the leaves.