EFFECTS OF SOME NOVEL ASCORBIC ACID-METAL COMPLEXES ON SELECTED BACTERIAL AND FUNGAL SPECIES

The antimicrobial activity of some novel ascorbic acid-metal complexes [bisascorbate complexes of copper (II), zinc(II), manganese (11), iron (111), cobalt(II), lead(II) and cadmium(II)] was investigated. Four standard strains of bacterial species - Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Klebsiella pneumonia and four fungal species - Trichophyton sp. Penicillium sp., Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger were used for the investigation. The activities of pure ascorbic acid are compared with the complexes. Generally, percentage inhibition of ascorbic acid on fungal species was the greatest among all compounds tested. The complexes have little or no activity on the bacterial species studied. The latter suggests that ascorbic acid complexation can perhaps be a possible mechanism for the prevention of heavy metal poisoning in biological systems