Variability in antimicrobial activity of latex from two varieties of Ficus carica

Abstract

Fig latex has been a typical component in the health-promoting Mediterranean diet for millennia. To study its potential constituents, two varieties differing in color of fruit [Bidhi Bither: (BB); Kahli Bither: (KB)] and their growth area were analyzed for their organic extracts against sixteen microbes. The capacity of extracts was evaluated based on the inhibition zone, using the disc-diffusion assay, minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) for bacteria and yeasts, the method of calculating the inhibition percentage (I%) and Agar punched wells method for fungi, respectively. Extracts of (BB1) variety from Chott Meriam showed the highest antimicrobial activities against the studied microorganisms when compared to (KB) variety and those from Mahdia. Ethyl acetate extracts had inhibition effect on the multiplication of Enterococcus faecalis, Citobacter freundii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis andEscherchia coli. For the opportunist pathogenic yeasts, ethyl acetate and chloroformic fractions showed a very strong inhibition (100%) and an MIC of 0.082 and 1.25 µg/ml for (BB) and (KB), respectively, while ethanolic fraction had a total inhibition against Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Candida krusei and Candida parapsilosis. Microsporum canis was strongly inhibited with ethanolic extract (75%) and totally with ethyl acetate extract at a concentration of 500 µg/ml. Key words: Ficus carica, latex, organic extracts, fungi, yeasts, bacteria, antimicrobial activity.