A PHYTOCHEMICALS AND ANTI-TUBERCULOSIS POTENTIALS OF ANOGEISSUS LEIOCARPUS AND BALANITES AEGYPTIACA EXTRACTS

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a major global health challenge, driving the ongoing search for alternative therapeutic agents, particularly from medicinal plants. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the extraction yields, phytochemical profiles, and antimycobacterial activities of Anogeissus leiocarpus and Balanites aegyptiaca, two medicinal plants traditionally employed in the treatment of infectious diseases. Methodology: Crude extracts of root and stem barks were prepared using successive total maceration (STM) in solvents of increasing polarity from least polar hexane to most polar water. The extracts obtained were screened for phytoconstituents and antimycobacterial activities using standard techniques. Results: Extraction of plant samples yielded twenty extracts, with the acetone leaf showing the highest yield of 23.70±0.00. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of flavonoids, tannins, saponins, and alkaloids, which are well known for their antimicrobial properties. The antimycobacterial activity results demonstrated significant inhibitory effects of the extracts, particularly fraction 2 of the acetone root bark extract of A. leiocarpus and fraction 3 of the water stem bark extract of B. aegyptiaca, with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 0.31±0.00 mg/mL each. Conclusion: These findings suggest that both plants possess potent antimycobacterial properties, bolstering their use in traditional medicine and their potential as sources of new antimycobacterial drugs. Further work is needed to isolate, identify, and characterize the active compounds and to assess their safety in vivo.