Abstract
The present study was conducted to determine the antimicrobial activityof various extracts of young fruits of Ficus palmata Forsk. against someGram positive and Gram negative bacteria and Candida species using theagar well diffusion method. Resultsshowed that the cold water extract had no inhibitory effect against anytested microbes, while the hot water extract inhibited the microbial growth(12.5%). Methanol, chloroform, petroleum ether or acetone extract of the dryfruits inhibited microbial growth (37.5%), while diethyl ether extractinhibition was 12.5%. Methanol extract of fresh fruitsinhibited themicrobial up to 75%. However, the chloroform and petroleum ether extractsinhibited microbial growth by 62.5% and 37.5%, respectively. Gas Chromatogram-Mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of hexanextract of the young fruits of Ficus palmata was carried out to identify its phytochemical constituents. Four chemicalconstituents have been identified: diethyl phthalatewas the major compound (86.19%) (Retention time 16.65), and cyclohexasiloxane, dodecamethyl-, (Rt 12.77), 1,3-dimethyl-2-nitrobenzene (Rt 14.91) and benzamide (Rt15.07) were the minor constituents (4.47, 7.96 and 1.36%, respectively). Itcould be concluded that the extractof young fresh fruits of Ficus palmata and its bioactive components, in particular diethyl phthalate, could be of phytopharmaceutical importance as anantimicrobial agents
Highlights
Ficus palmata Forsk. (Moraceae) is commonly known as ‘Fig’, deciduous, moderate-sized tree, 6 to 10 meters in height; young branches, tomentose, often becoming glabrous; bark, smooth, dull, ash gray, can be stripped off with the hand, exposing the white to light-yellow wood underneath; wood, moderately hard.Leaves, alternate, broad, ovate, membranous, 12.92 cm long, 14.16 cm broad, having reticulate pinnate venation and dentate margin; dark green and rough on the upper surface, light green and tomentose on the lower surface
The cold-water extract of fresh fruits showed no zones of inhibition against the tested microbes, while the hot water extracts from young fresh fruits inhibited 1 out of the 8 (12.5%) microbes used with average zone diameters ranging from 0.7 cm against Staphylococcus aureus (Fig. 1 panel A)
Dry extract of young fruits gained from methanol, chloroform, petroleum ether or acetone inhibited 3 out of the 8 (37.5%) microbes used with average zone diameters ranging from 1.6 cm against M. luteus to 0.75 cm against Shigella sp., while diethyl ether extract inhibited (12.5%) with a zone 0.8 cm against M. luteus
Summary
Ficus palmata Forsk. (Moraceae) is commonly known as ‘Fig’, deciduous, moderate-sized tree, 6 to 10 meters in height; young branches, tomentose, often becoming glabrous; bark, smooth, dull, ash gray, can be stripped off with the hand, exposing the white to light-yellow wood underneath; wood, moderately hard.Leaves, alternate, broad, ovate, membranous, 12.92 cm long, 14.16 cm broad, having reticulate pinnate venation and dentate margin; dark green and rough on the upper surface, light green and tomentose on the lower surface. The present study aimed to investigate the in vitro antimicrobial activity of the water, chloroform, petroleum ether, methanol diethyl ether, and acetone extract of young fruits of Ficus palmata against Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Klebsiella oxytoca, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Micrococcus luteus and Shigella sp. The extraction of dry materials was done by adding 20 ml of water, chloroform, petroleum ether, methanol diethyl ether OR acetone to the half gram (1 g) air-dried and powdered young fruits.
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