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ABSTRACT
Plants have throughout human history provided drugs to cure ailments and supported healthy growth of man and animals. Rural dwellers and about 34 % of the world’s population, even now, largely depend on plants. Lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus), is one of such potent alternative sources of antimicrobials which is widely cultivated globally. It has been reported for wide range of activities against several diseases–causing organisms. A strong contribution to the antioxidant and antiinflammatory characteristics of an important oil-free lemongrass infusion has been recognized as mono-and polymeric flavonoid, such as apigenin glycosides, luteolin and proanthocyanidins. This study thus investigated the phytochemical composition and the antimicrobial activity of aqueous and ethanoic extracts of Cymbopogon citratus essential oil against selected clinical isolates Aspergillus oryzae, Fusarium culmorum, Trichoderma harzianum, Aspergillus fumigatus, Fusarium asygodporus and Rhizopus avenaceum which currently form some of the most formidable multidrug resistant pathogens. Fresh lemon grass leaves were collected they were freshly uprooted from house A29 at dentistry quarters in Benin city Edo State, Nigeria. The extract was serially diluted using the following double serial dilution patterns: 100mg/ml, 50mg/ml, 25mg/ml and 12.5mg/ml.The Antimicrobial activity of lemongrass essential oil against the selected fungal isolates are represented in millimeters at vaned concentration of 6.75%, 12.5%, 25%, 50% and 100% of the lemon grass oil. Fluconazole was used as a positive control and the results were recorded after a 48 hrs incubation period. The minimum inhibitory concentration lemongrass oil recorded 100mg/ml for Rhizopus asygodporus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Trichoderma harzianum and Fusarium avenaceum while Aspergillus oryzae and Fusarium culmorum recorded at 50mg/ml. This study also showed that the antifungal activity of the lemongrass oil is influenced by factors such as time and concentration. The future direction of this study is to screen other plant essential oils for antimicrobial activities as a means of controlling pathogens to prevent development of antibiotic resistance in clinically important microorganisms.
