IOSR Journal of Applied Chemistry (IOSR-JAC) e-ISSN: 2278-5736.Volume 9, Issue 9 Ver. II (September. 2016), PP 118-131 www.iosrjournals.org DOI: 10.9790/5736-090902118131 www.iosrjournals.org 118 |Page Activity-Guided Isolation and Antimicrobial Assay of A Flavonol From Mitracarpus Verticillatus (Schumach. & Thonn.) Vatke Gloria Ihuoma Ndukwe 1 , Sadiq Yahaya Garba 2 and Esther Adebola Adelakun 3 1 Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Nkpolu- Oroworukwo, P.M.B. 5080 Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria 2 Dermatophilosis Research Center, National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Plateau State, Nigeria 3 Chemistry Department, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Jos, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria Abstract:The antimicrobial activity of a methanol extract of Mitracarpus verticillatus was evaluated against some bacteria and dermatophytes. The Mitracarpus verticillatus methanol extract possesses both antibacterial and antifungal activities. This extract was subsequently fractioned and the three different fractions were screened for antibacterial activity and secondary metabolites. Methanol extract residue displayed a higher degree of antibacterial activity, than the other two fractions (dichloromethane soluble fraction and ethyl acetate soluble fraction). The fractions were all positive for alkaloids, glycosides, steroids, and cardiac glycosides. Methanol extract residue showed the presence of tannins, saponins, flavonoids and phlobatannins; while anthraquinones and terpenes were detected in the other two fractions. A compound was isolated via thin layer chromatographic method from the methanol extract residue. The ultraviolet and visible spectrophotometric and infrared spectroscopic studies of this isolated compound suggest it to be flavonol. Keywords -Antibacterial Activity, Antifungal, Mitracarpus verticillatus, Mitracarpus verticillatum, Flavonol I. Introduction Mitracarpus verticillatusis an annual herb which grows as a weed. It is half-woody at the base, erect, with terete branches, from a few inches to 2ft high. The flowers are white and densely crowded at the nodes. It has lanceolate leaves and reproduces by seeds. M. verticilatus is a common weed in upland areas from the forest to the savanna zones. It is wide spread in tropical Asia and Africa. The plant has other names such as Mitracarpum verticillatum VATKE, Mitracarpus scaber ZUCC,Staurospermum verticillatum SCHUM AND THONN,Mitracarpus villosus (SW)DC,Mitracarpus scabrum,Mitracarpum scabrum and Spermacoce hirta L. [1-3].The plant is employed in traditional medicine in Senegal for the treatment of sore throat and leprosy. In Nigeria, Hausas and Yorubas use it for parasitic conditions: for itch, ringworm and craw-craw. It is also used as an antidote to arrow poison. It is widely employed in traditional medicine in west Africa for headaches, toothaches, amenorrhea, dysperpsia, hepatic diseases, venereal diseases and leprosy. The juice of the plant is also applied topically for the treatment of skin diseases – infectious dermatitis, eczema and scabies [3-5]. The National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), Abuja, Nigeria, has formulated an extract of the plant into a cream, Niprifan ® , which is a highly effective topical antifungal agent. Likewise, in Mali, a lotion and a skin ointment made with the aerial part of the plant are used for skin diseases and infections [5]. The use of M. verticillatusin traditional medical care for treatment of infections is well documented. There are also quite a number of literature reports on its chemistry and pharmacology [6-11]. However, this work was aimed at investigating the most potent fraction of the aerial part of the plant with focus on isolation and determination of chemical structures of the organic metabolites in the active fraction. II. Materials and Method 2.1 Plant Material Fresh aerial part of the plant was collected from Bauchi Bassa, Nigeria, in April 2006. The plant was authenticated by Dr Ibrahim Abdulkareem of Savana Research Centre, Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Zaria. The plant material was air dried for about four weeks and pulverized. 2.2 Extraction Extraction was carried out for 24hours using a Soxhlet extractor. Methanol was used as the solvent. The extract was concentrated to dryness using a rotary evaporator. 2.3 Fractionation of Crude Extract 50g of the crude Methanol Extract was dissolved in 40ml of dichloromethane and filtered after decanting.This process was repeated 12 times. The 12 portions were combined and concentrated to dryness using a rotary evaporator. This concentrate was labelled Dichloromethane Soluble Fraction (DSF).The insoluble