Abstract:
Medicinal plants are used as essential methods for handling various diseases particularly in
developing countries. Because they have a potential to cure different physical and
Physiological complications by using the chemical substances produced within them and
found in different parts: leaf, root, stem or all parts of the plant. Thus the aim of this study
was to assess the antibacterial activity of solanum incanum and premna schimperi leafe
extracts and their synergistic activity against selected pathogenic bacteria; such as:
Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium, and Klebsiella
pneumoniae, clinical isolates and standard strain. Ethanol, methanol and chloroform crude
leaf extracts of S. incanum, P. schimperi and their synergistic were assessed against tested
pathogenic bacteria using agar well diffusion method; the inhibitory zones were recorded in
millimeters. Gentamycin was used as positive controls, while Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)
was served as negative control. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and Minimum
Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of the plant extracts against test microorganisms were
assessed using broth dilution and agar culture techniques respectively. The combined leaf
extract produced the highest mean inhibition zone (22.67mm±0.577) compared to the use of
S.incanum (22.33mm±2.082) or P.schimperi extracts (21.33mm ±3.055) independently. The
results of this study also demonstrated that ethanoic extracts used against the majority test
microorganisms showed antimicrobial and synergistic effect with most antibiotics better than
methanol and chloroform extracts. The inhibition zone of the synergistic antibacterial effect of
S. incanum and P. schimperi leaf extracts against most tested pathogenic bacteria was greater
than the antibacterial activity S. incanum and P. schimperi used independently. Accordingly,
the present finding supports the traditional use of those plants in combination and separate for
treating pathogens by the community. And also there is a requirement for detailed scientific
study of traditional knowledge to confirm that valuable therapeutic knowledge of some plants
is preserved as well as to provide scientific evidence for their efficacies
