Antimicrobial, Antioxidant Activities, and Phytochemical Characterization of Acacia nilotica and Hibiscus sabdariffa

Abstract

Antibiotic abuse has caused the emergence of an alarming number of resistant pathogens. Hence, there is an urgent need for novel agents. Most of the Sudanese people in rural areas rely on traditional medicine for the treatment of many infectious diseases. This study was carried out to investigate the antimicrobial antioxidant activities and phytochemical contents of Hibiscus sabdariffa fruits and Acacia nilotica pods. Antimicrobial assays of the ethanolic extracts of both plants showed that they exhibit diverse inhibitory activity against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, and three Gram-negative bacteria Salmonella typhi, Klebsiella and Escherichia coli, and one fungi Candida albicans, with the zone of inhibition ranging from 16 to 20 mm in length. The antioxidant activity of A. nilotica was about 91 %; it was highly significant compared with the standard (Propyl gallate) which gave (94%). While the extract of H. sabdariffa showed weak antioxidant activity. Phytochemical screening of A. nilotica indicates the presence of phenols, tannins, flavonoids, triterpenes, and saponins, while alkaloids were absent. The extract H. sabdariffa was rich in phenols, flavonoids, and alkaloids, but no tannins, triterpenes, or saponins were detected. These findings provide scientific evidence to support the traditional medicinal uses of these extracts and indicate the promising potential of these plants for medicinal purposes.