Antimicrobial Properties of Talinum triangulare (Waterleaf)

Ituen Udeme Blessing; Daudu Emmanuel Solomon; Igbo Emmanuel Gabriel; Awowoh Winifred Uyiekawu

doi:10.56201/ijhpr.vol.10.no10.2025.pg71.90

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Antimicrobial Properties of Talinum triangulare (Waterleaf)

Ituen Udeme Blessing, Daudu Emmanuel Solomon, Igbo Emmanuel Gabriel, Awowoh Winifred Uyiekawu

Abstract

Phytochemical screening and antimicrobial activity of Talinum triangulare were studied. Talinum triangulare, commonly known as waterleaf, is one of the vital but underutilized leafy vegetables in Nigeria. Nutritionally, waterleaf has been shown to possess essential nutrients, mineral and vitamins. The qualitative and quantitative analyses of Talinum triangulare leaves (water leaf) which is commonly used as a vegetable in Nigeria, were carried out on both dry and wet samples. Generally, the dry sample showed higher levels of these bioactive compounds than the wet sample. The result of dry and wet samples revealed the presence of bioactive compounds namely flavonoids (69.80±0.02 mg/100g and 58.33±0.02 mg/100g), alkaloids (55.56±0.01 mg/100 g and 13.89±0.01 mg/100 g), saponins (1.48±0.03mg/100g and 1.37±0.60mg/100g), steroids (0.21±0.01mg/100g and 0.14±0.01mg/100g), phytate (0.17±0.01mg/100g and 1.12±0.01mg/100g), phenol (1.37±0.02mg/100g and 1.19±0.01mg/100g) and tannins (1.44±0.73mg/100g and 1.09±0.26mg/100g) respectively. The results indicate that the leaves contain an appreciable amount of bioactive compounds. Alkaloids and flavonoids were present in high amounts with respect to saponins, steroids, phenol, phytate, and tannins. Glycosides were absent in the phytochemical analysis carried out. Medically, the presence of these phytochemicals explains the use of this vegetable in ethnomedicine for the management of various ailments. The activity of the plant extracts against the test microbes of human pathogenic inclinations shows that the ethanol extracts were active than the water extract. Most of the plant extracts showed antibacterial activity with zones of inhibition ranging from 03mm to 31mm. Also, there were variations in the performance of the different plant extracts against the test organisms: Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella typhi, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Pseudomonas

Keywords

Talinum triangularePhytochemical screeningAntimicrobial propertiesBioactive

References

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Antimicrobial Properties of Talinum triangulare (Waterleaf)

Abstract

Keywords

References

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