Gas chromatography / mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of Jatropha curcas latex and its antimicrobial activity on clinical isolates

The increasing rate of resistance to antibiotics has led to endless search for new drugs of natural origin with antimicrobial activities. The work was aimed at evaluating the phyto-constituents of J. curcas latex and its antibacterial activities against some selected clinical bacterial isolates. Gas chromatography / mass spectrometry (Gc-ms) analysis of latex of J. curcas phyto-constituents was done and tested for antibacterial activity. Antibacterial activity of the latex was determined on some selected clinical bacterial isolates using cup plate agar diffusion bioassay method. The main constituents include:-alpha.-benzamido-2-hydroxycinnamic acid, Pentanoic acid, 3-methyl-, N,N-dimethylaminoethanol, (2E,4E)-N-isobutyltetradeca-2,4-dienamide, Oxime-, methoxy-phenyl-, 1-(4-methoxy-3-methylphenyl)-2-methylpropan-2-amine, Maltol-dodecanoic acid, methyl ester, Theobromine, Hexadecanoic acid, Methyl ester, Methyl stearate, 1,1,2-trimethyl-3,8,9-trioxa-bicyclo[4.2.1]nonane. Antibacterial activity of latex on clinical isolates of Escherichia coli, Bacillus spp, Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Citrobacter spp and Salmonella typhi showed the latex had relatively high activity against all these bacteria except Citrobacter spp and Salmonella typhi. Latex of J. curcas had considerable percentage of therapeutically useful phyto-constituents and activity against most clinical bacteria isolates used in this work.