A comparative study on GC-MS analysis and antimicrobial activity of bioactive compounds present in aerial parts (leaf and fruit) of Ficus benghalensis L.

Abstract

Plants are being looked upon for medications derived mainly from different plant parts. The majority of the population worldwide, especially in underdeveloped nations, relies on herbal formulations for basic medical requirements. Ficus benghalensis L., member of moraceae family is renowned for its ethano-medicinal applications. In this study, polar (aqueous, methanolic, and acetone) and non polar (petroleum ether) extracts of leaves and fruits of F. benghalensis L. were investigated for their antimicrobial activity and phytochemical constituency. Antimicrobial activity was estimated by investigating Zone of Inhibition (ZOI) and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) against gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus) and gram-negative (Salmonella typhi and Escherichia coli) bacteria; and fungal strains (Aspergillus niger, Fusarium oxysporum, and Rhizopus oryzae). The diameter of ZOI ranged from 18.8 ± 1.2mm to 6.2 ± .88mm for various bacterial strains, whereas from 10.2 ± 1.3mm to 6.2 ± 1.6mm for fungal strains. Aqueous and petroleum ether extracts exhibited comparatively lesser or no activity in some cases whereas methanol and acetone extracts exhibited moderate to good activity. MIC values ranged between 50μg/μl to 0.024μg/μl against both bacterial and fungal strains. Methanolic extracts were further analyzed using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) for their phytochemical profile since they showed higher antimicrobial activity. The major compounds detected in leaf extracts were Lup-20(29)-en-3-one (20.45%), Lupeol (17.40%), Beta amyrone (9.07%), Squalene (5.17), Stigmasta-5-en-3-ol (5.62%), Vitamin-E (3.89%), and n-Hexadecanoic acid (1.32%); and in fruit extract were Octadecatrienoic acid (15.24%), 4H-Pyran-4-one, 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl (14.89%), 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (15.32%), 24-Norursa-3,12-diene (2.79%), and 9,12-Octadecadienoic acid (z, z)-2-hydroxy-1- (hydroxymethyl) ethyl (2.07%). This study supports using F. benghalensis L. in microbial infection therapy.