Abstract:
The use of plants for curing diseases was inevitable as is already proven by seeing the
problems associated with synthetic antibiotics. The Punica granatumL. has been reported for
the treatment of medical and health related issues. The purpose of the present investigation
was to screen the potential bioactive phytochemicals and assess the antimicrobial activities of
Punica granatumL. fruit peel, seed and leaf methanolic extracts. The experiment was
arranged in 3 x 3 x 1 x 6 completely randomized factorial design with three replications. The
phytochemical composition of methanolic extracts of Punica granatum fruit peel, seed and
leaf has demonstrated the presence of all tested phytochemicals including tannins,
phlobatannins, saponins, flavonoids, terpenoids, steroids and alkaloids. The antimicrobial
activities of methanolic extracts from Punica granatum extracts based on disc diffusion
method indicated that the highest concentration of the methanolic extract (200mg/ml)
presented the strongest antibacterial activity where the maximum zone of inhibition
(15.33mm) was observed for peel extract against S. aureus. The highest concentration of the
extract revealed maximum antifungal activity with the highest zone of inhibition (15.50mm)
recorded for methanolic peel extract against A. versicolor.The antimicrobial activities were
further tested by determining (MIC), (MBC) and (MFC) for methanolic extracts of Punica
granatum fruit peel, seed and leaf against test pathogenic microbes.The results revealed that
the methanolic extract from fruit peel presented the strongest antibacterial activity with MIC
of 6.26mg/ml and the corresponding MBC of 6.25mg/ml against S.aureus. The strongest
antifungal activity with MIC of 6.25mg/ml and the corresponding MFC of 12.5mg/ml was
recorded for methanolic extract of Punica granatum fruit peel against A. versicolor whereas
the weakest antifungal activity with largest MIC of 50mg/ml and the corresponding MFC of
100mg/m was observed for methanolic seed extracts against C. albicans. Thus, it can be
conccluded that the methanolic peel extract of Punica granatum had exhibited the strongest
antimicrobial potential while the seed extract had the least antibacterial potential
