Further constituents of Vernonia cineria leaves.

The genus Vernonia consists of over 1000 species and members of the genus are widely used as food and medicine. As part of our continuing research into ethnomedicinal plant of Nigeria for bioactive plant metabolites, the leaves of Vernonia cineria was investigated for phytochemical constituents. The pulverized leaves of Vernonia cineria were extracted with 70% ethanol and the crude ethanolic extract was suspended in water and partitioned with n-hexane, ethyl acetate and n-butanol. The n-hexane and ethyl acetate soluble parts which showed similar spots on thin layer chromatography were pooled together and coded V1. Extensive column chromatography of V1 afforded the triterpenoids: Lupenol and Oleanan-12.15 dein-28-oic acid. The structures were elucidated using NMR an MS and compared with literature. The oily fraction was subjected to GC-MS equipped with library data to give fatty acids and long chain hydrocarbons. Antibacterial investigation of the ethanol extract at concentration in the range 5-50 mg/ml against the clinical isolates of S. aureus, B. subtilis, E. coli and P. aeruginosa did not show any activity.

Pattern of Antimicrobial Resistance of Escherichia coli from Healthy Adults in Amassoma, South-South Nigeria.

Aim: To investigate the antimicrobial resistance profile of faecal Escherichia coli to common antimicrobial agents in healthy adults in Amassoma, South Southern Nigeria. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Biotechnology, Niger Delta University, Bayelsa State, between February and June 2010. Methodology: The stool samples collected were inoculated and screened for E. coli using standard microbiological protocols. The antimicrobial susceptibility test of the isolates was done using disc diffusion technique. Results: A total of 110 (84.6%) E. coli isolates were obtained from all the samples comprising 38 (34.5%) from the villagers and 72 (65.5%) from the University students. The overall resistance profiles of all the isolates were: ampicillin-95.5%, tetracycline- 72.7%, augmentin-70.9%, co-trimoxazole-54.5%, cefuroxime-44.5%, chloramphenicol- 39.1%, nalidixic acid-30.0%, nitrofurantoin-28.2%, ceftazidime-15.5%, ciprofloxacin- 14.5%, gentamicin-10.0% and ofloxacin-4.5%. The isolates from the villagers exhibited significantly higher resistances to some of the antibiotics than those from the students (P<0.05). The prevalence of multiple drug resistance among all the isolates was 76 (69.1%). Conclusion: The observed high level of multiple drug resistance among the flora of healthy individuals call for measures to control the sales of antimicrobial agents in this country as a strategy toward the containment of antibiotic resistance.

Antibacterial Screening of Some Synthesized Palmitoyl Amino Acids and Their Aromatic Analogues.

Aims: The aims of the research were to synthesize, characterize some palmitoyl amino acids and their aromatic analogues and to screen the synthesized compounds for possible antibacterial activity Study Design: Synthesis, characterization and antibacterial screening of palmitoyl amino acids and their aromatic analogues. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry/ Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, between September 2012 and January 2013. Methodology: Palmitoylchloride was condensed with the respective amino acids (glycine, β-alanine, γ-amino butyric acid) to form the corresponding palmitoyl amino acids. The opening of the isatoic anhydride ring with the three amino acids and subsequent condensation with palmitoyl chloride led to the formation of the amino acid benzamides. The antibacterial screening was carried out using agar well diffusion method. Results: All the synthesized compounds were obtained in good yield and high purity; they were unequivocally characterized by the combination IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and MS. The compounds were however found to possess no antibacterial activity against the tested microorganisms Conclusion: This work has shown that both the straight chain and aromatic analogues of saturated long chain lipid amides are inactive against the tested strains of microorganism.

Multidrug-resistant Intestinal Staphylococcus aureus among Self-medicated Healthy Adults in Amassoma, South-South, Nigeria.

Multiple antibiotic resistant Staphylococcus aureus is one of the common causes of severe nosocomial infections, and the gastrointestinal tract is an important source of its transmission. This study assessed the previous usage of antibiotics by healthy adults (university students and villagers) in Amassoma, Nigeria, and investigated the antimicrobial resistance patterns of their intestinal S. aureus isolates. A questionnaire was used for evaluating the previous usage of antibiotics by the volunteers. Stool samples were collected and cultured, and S. aureus isolates were confirmed using standard microbiological protocols. Their antimicrobial resistance patterns were determined using disc-diffusion and agar dilution techniques. In total, 54 (45.0%) volunteers used antibiotics on self-medications, and the practice was significantly higher (p=0.01) among the villagers than among the students. The level of judicious use of prescribed antibiotics was significantly higher (p=0.003) among the students than among the villagers. Thirty-eight (31.7%) healthy adults were colonized with intestinal S. aureus. The percentages of resistance of the isolates to some antibiotics were as follows: ampicillin–68.4%, doxycycline–60.5%, cefoxitin–34.2%, vancomycin–36.8%, erythromycin–34.2%, and gentamicin–5.3%. Twenty-five (65.8%) of the isolates were multidrug-resistant. The need for sound education on the appropriate use of antibiotics and the importance of proper personal hygiene as means of controlling the spread of bacterial antibiotic resistance are highlighted. Thus, effective strategies in these areas are strongly recommended.