In-vitro anti-microbial and brine-shrimp lethality potential of the leaves and stem of Calotropis procera (ait).

ethno-medicinal therapies ranging form oral, skin, gastro-intestinal torespiratory problems. The effects of this plant on the sensitivity of microorganisms need verification and its potential for cytotoxicity needs to be investigated. Thus, the anti-microbial and brine–shrimp lethality studieson the leaves and stem were carried out. The crude ethanolic extract ofthe stem and its ethylacetate fraction elicited good antibacterial activityagainst clinical strains of Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus butgave minimal activity against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniaeand Salmonella typhi but none against the fungal isolate; Candidaalbicans. The brine-shrimp lethality assay analyzed using the Finneyprobit method showed that the crude ethanolic extracts of the leaves andstem displayed LD50 values at 192 ppm and 182 ppm respectively. Thesefindings indicate the potential of the plant as panacea for infectiousdiseases and also reveal a novel potential in the fight against tumors inman. (Afr. J. Biomed. Res. 9: 205 – 211)