Senna podocarpa (Guill. & Perr) LOCK formerly Cassia podocarpa Guill. Et. Perr (Leguminosae-Caesalpinoidae) is a medicinal plant used extensively for the treatment of skin diseases. The leaves are commonly known for their anti-gonorrheal and purgative properties as well as guinea worm and sore healing remedies in Nigeria. The pharmacological property is as a result of several phytochemicals such as alkaloids, flavones, flavonoids and glycosides contained in the leaf extract of the plant. This study aimed at synthesis of metal complexes of Senna podocarpa extract to examine its antibacterial and antioxidant properties. The metal complexes in this study were formed by the reaction of raw extract with some metal salts. The metal to raw extract ratio was 2:1 and the reaction was carried out in an ethanolic medium. The extract was complexed with transition metal ions (Copper (II) ions) at a pH range of 5.0 - 8.0. The antibacterial studies were carried out using disc diffusion method, while the antioxidant properties of the metal complexes were also determined. The complexes inhibited growth of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus at a minimum concentration less than the crude extract. The metal complexes have also exhibited better antioxidant activities than the crude extract. This showed that Cu complexes of the raw extract of Senna podocarpa increases the efficiency and potency of the Senna podocarpa and it was also evident that heavy metals can go a long way to control the growth of micro-organisms.
Ojo et al. (2026) studied this question.