Abstract

The sap from the oil palms (Elaeis guineensis), harbours complex microbiota and provides a rich source of therapeutic metabolites. This study investigated the antibacterial modulatory activity of sap from Elaeis guineensis on selected bacteria. To test how well the sap from the oil palm tree affects bacteria, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of some common antibiotics was found by mixing the sap from the oil palm tree with broth and measuring the results. The MIC of chloramphenicol, ampicillin, amoxicillin /clavulanic acid, and cefixime combined with the sap from the oil palm tree against the test organisms were in the range of 1.25 - 2.5, <0.0024 - 2.5, <0.0024 - 0.625, and 0.3125 - 2.5 mg/ml, respectively. There was a 4-fold and 16-fold reduction in the MIC of chloramphenicol against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa respectively, and an 8-fold reduction of the MIC of cefixime against Staphylococcus aureus.  There was an increase in the MIC of the antibiotics in 64% of the in vitro modulatory tests. A 2 – >2083-fold increment in the MIC of the antibiotics was observed against the test pathogenic bacteria. Metabolite profiling of the sap from the oil palm tree showed the presence of simple sugars such as cellobiose, maltose, sucrose and glucose. The sap from the E. guineensis exerted a modulatory effect on the antibacterial activity of chloramphenicol, ampicillin, amoxicillin /clavulanic acid and cefixime.

Key words: Elaeis guineensis, antibacterial modulation, antimicrobial resistance.