Preliminary Investigation on the Extracts of the Fungal Endophytes From Mitracarpus Scaber for Antimicrobial Activity

Endophytes have been shown to possess the capacity to produce novel bioactive compounds including those with antimicrobial properties. The aim of this research is to determine the antimicrobial property of the fungal endophytes isolated from Mitracarpus scaber (Rubiaceae) Zucc. The leaves of M. scaber were freed of debris under running water, sterilized, the lamina and midrib of the leaves cut into smaller fragments and then inoculated unto Sabouraud’s dextrose agar (SDA) plates from where fungal endophytes grow, which were purified by repeated sub culturing and these pure fungal endophytes were then subjected to solid state fermentation using rice medium. Ethyl acetate was then used to extract the product of fermentation and extracts were concentrated by means of a rotary evaporator set at 550C. The concentrated extracts were then screened for antimicrobial activity against some common test organisms such as Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans, Bacillus subtillis, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi and Escherichia coli. Exactly five (5) fungal endophytes were isolated from the leaves of M. scaber and labeled appropriately. The endophytic fungal extracts elicited antimicrobial activities down the concentration gradient against the test isolates. This research reveals that Mitracarpus scaber elicits antimicrobial activities and could be a potential candidate for development into antibiotics that could be used in therapy.