ANTIBACTERIAL EFFICACY OF CHANCA PIEDRA (PHYLLANTUS NIRURI) LEAVE EXTRACT OF SELECTED CLINICAL ISOLATES

ABSTRACT The increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has prompted the search for alternative antimicrobial agents from natural sources. This study investigated the antibacterial efficacy of Phyllanthus niruri (Chanca piedra) leaf extract against selected clinical bacterial isolates, including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Fresh leaves of Phyllanthus niruri were collected, air-dried, and extracted using 70% ethanol. Clinical bacterial isolates were standardized to 0.5 McFarland turbidity and tested using the agar well diffusion method to determine zones of inhibition. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were also determined using broth dilution and sub-culturing techniques. Results indicated that the leaf extract exhibited concentration-dependent antibacterial activity, with S. aureus showing the highest susceptibility and P. aeruginosa the least. MIC values ranged from 12.5 mg/mL (S. aureus) to 50 mg/mL (P. aeruginosa), while MBC values ranged from 25 mg/mL to 100 mg/mL. The antibacterial activity is attributed to the presence of bioactive phytochemicals such as alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, and saponins. The study concludes that Phyllanthus niruri leaf extract has significant antibacterial potential and could serve as a natural alternative or complementary agent in the treatment of bacterial infections. Further studies are recommended to isolate active compounds and evaluate their clinical applications. Keywords: Phyllanthus niruri, antibacterial activity, clinical isolates, MIC, MBC, phytochemicals.