Pharmacological and Chemical Constituents of Termite Nest

Abstract

Phytochemical, antimicrobial and GC-MS analysis of termite nest was studied using standard methods. Phytochemical screening of the crude extract (TN0) revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, terpenes, steroids and cardiac glycoside while saponins, tannins and anthraquinones are absent. Antibacterial activity of the crude extract and fractions against Streptococcus mutans ATCC 25175, Streptococcus pneumoniae ATCC 33400, Streptococcus pyogenes JCM 5674, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 10145, Klebsiella pneumoniae BYK-9 and Micrococcus luteus ATC 10240 at 40 mg/mL revealed a narrow spectrum of activity in TN0 and Hexane fraction (TN1) in two bacterial isolate each with zone of inhibition ranging from 5.33±1.25 to 8.02±0.13 and 8.50±1.25 mm, chloroform fraction (TN2) was susceptible against all the bacterial isolates except P. aeruginosa with inhibition zone ranging from 7.33±2.50 to 18.33±1.25 mm while ethyl acetate fraction (TN3) and aqueous fraction (TN4) was susceptible against all the test bacterial isolates with zone of inhibition ranging from 7.33±0.67 to 14.00±1.50 mm in TN3 and 15.00±0.58 to 19.67±0.30mm in TN4 where significantly different (p<0.05) with the standard antibiotics (Amoxicillin and Ampiclox) used. MIC and MBC of TN2, TN3 and TN4 also ranged from 5 to 20 mg/mL and MBC 5 to 40 mg/mL in all the test bacterial isolates respectively. GC-MS analysis of TN3 and TN4 gave the presence of 21 compounds in TN3 and 16 in TN4 with different % compositions. The study revealed that termite nest contains phytochemicals that can be a good source therapeutic agent.