A study of the In Vivo activity of the leaf extract of Alchornea cordifolia against multiply antibiotic resistant S. aureus isolate in mice

The effect of a 50% aqueous ethanol extract of Alchornea cordifolia (Schum and Thonn) Muell. Arg. leaf was investigated in mice which had been infected intraperitoneally with 5.0 x 10(9) cfu of Staphylococcus aureus. Dose-dependent antibacterial activity was demonstrated and the rate of survival of infected mice was improved significantly by doses between 25 and 200 mg/kg of injected extract when compared with untreated infected controls. The intraperitoneal median lethal dose of the extract was found to be 800 mg/kg.