Investigation of Therapeutic and Medicinal Potential of Heliotropium indicum on Pseudomonas aeruginosa from Samples of Patients Accessing Care at Alex-Ekwueme Federal University, NdufuAlike, Clinic, Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa necessitates the exploration of alternative therapies. This study investigated the phytochemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Heliotropium indicum leaf extracts against P. aeruginosa isolates obtained from urine and stool samples at Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu Alike, clinic, Ebonyi State. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, phenols, terpenoids, and glycosides, compounds widely associated with antimicrobial, antioxidant, and antiinflammatory properties. Morphological and biochemical tests confirmed the isolates as P. aeruginosa, showing classical Gram-negative rod characteristics. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing demonstrated that the ethanol extract exhibited stronger inhibitory activity than the aqueous extract, with inhibition zones of 20–30 mm at 200 mg/ml, in some cases comparable to ciprofloxacin (23–28 mm). The aqueous extract showed moderate activity, with inhibition zones ranging from 10–24 mm. These findings indicate that ethanol effectively extracts more potent bioactive compounds than water, corroborating previous studies that reported enhanced activity of organic solvent extracts of medicinal plants. The results suggest that H. indicum possesses significant therapeutic potential against P. aeruginosa, a pathogen known for its multiple antibiotics resistance property and clinical importance. The findings contribute to the growing evidence supporting medicinal plants as sources of novel antimicrobial agents. However, further work is needed to isolate and characterize the active constituents, assess their toxicity and safety, and evaluate in vivo efficacy. This study underscores capability of H. indicum as a complementary strategy in addressing antimicrobial resistance.