Study of antibacterial effects of ripped and raw fig alone and in combination

Abstract

In recent years many of researchers were studying antimicrobial and other chemical and biological characteristics of medicinal and nonmedicinal plants seeking for better drug alternatives for treatment of diseases. The antimicrobial activity of methanolic extracts of ripped and unripped figs was studied alone and in combination in vitro. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were determined by broth microdilution on standard microorganisms. Two different lower concentrations of MIC were used for analysis of combinational antibacterial activities. Findings showed that ripped Fig extract in concentrations of ≥ 13 to ≥6.5 mg/ml have MIC values on tested bacteria, but unripped Fig extract showed a MIC value in ≥7 mg/ml against all of the studied bacteria. Sub MIC concentrations (1:4 and 1:4 MIC) of combination of ripped and unripped extracts indicated synergic and additive effects on bacteria, respectively. In this study ripped and unripped Fig extracts in selected concentrations(1:4 and 1:2 MICs) have indicate synergic and additive antibacterial activity on bacteria, in addition antibacterial activity of unripped Fig extract was higher than ripped Fig extract and was significant(p=0.002). Since Fig has been used from ancient eras by humans, this kind of extracts could be a potential candidate for combination therapy of infections. Key words: Ripped fig extract, unripped fig extract, synergy, additive, MIC.