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1. Introduction
Infectious diseases caused by bacteria constitute a public health problem all over the world and particularly in Africa where living conditions are precarious [1, 2]. The discovery of antibiotics has been a real relief for humanity because they have greatly reduced the incidence of infectious diseases [3]. The often inappropriate prescription of antibiotics and their inappropriate use by the population among others have led to selection pressure by bacteria [4]. This has led, for several decades, to the emergence of resistant bacteria, which is the main cause of increased frequency of therapeutic failures, mortality, and high costs of treatment [5]. Alternative remediation could include new antimicrobial substances that are effective, available, and low in toxicity. Medicinal plants are a credible research pathway. Indeed, they are rich in molecules of an exceptional chemical variability making them a vast reservoir of substances that can act through various modes of action [6]. Many approaches have so far been used to demonstrate the antibacterial activity of plants. They include crude extract preparation using variety of solvents [7], purification of active compounds from extracts [8–11], successive extraction with solvents with increasing polarity [12], and distillation. Solvent extraction has been the most used method but recent studies established increased activity with fractionation of crude extract [13, 14]. In addition, many African countries with poor technology are limited for production of medicine from pure active compounds or their derivatives. Alternative could be formulation of best active plant extract or their fractions.
Enantia chlorantha is a plant belonging to the Annonaceae family. It is highly prized in the traditional Cameroonian pharmacopoeia and used in the treatment of several infections including malaria, anemia, typhoid fever, and yellow fever [15]. Also called Epoue (Baka), Peye (Badjoue), and Nfol (Bulu), it is widely spread along Sub-Saharan Africa [16]. The stem barks, leaves, and roots are used in Africa to treat jaundice, urinary infection, and leprosy spots. They are also used as hemostatic agents and uterus stimulants [17]. Previous studies highlighted antimicrobial, antimycobacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, antipyretic, and antisickin activity [18]. The present work was...