2022/01/03 by Coker, Morenike Eunice, Udoh, Hannah M., Oaikhena, Anderson Osemuahu
paper · doi:10.7275/5pd5-at41
Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections constitute a global health threat with high mortality and morbidity rates; a problem aggravated by antimicrobial resistance. Ficus thonningii and Ficus natalensis have been used in ethnomedicine for the treatment of bacterial infections. Successive extraction was carried out with hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol using a soxhlet apparatus. The crude extracts obtained were screened for the presence of phytochemicals using standard methods. Vacuum liquid chromatography (VLC) of the extracts was carried out. Clinical isolates were verified with standard biochemical assays and antibiogram was determined using the disc diffusion method. The agar well diffusion method was used to determine the antibacterial activity of the extracts and fractions. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was determined by microbroth dilution method. Bactericidal kinetics was determined using the viable count technique. Phytochemicals present in both plants include saponins, tannins, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, terpenoids, steroids, alkaloids, and anthraquinones. Extracts and fractions exhibited appreciable activity on the test organisms. The ethyl acetate extract and hexane extract of F. thonningii and F. natalensis respectively produced larger zones of inhibition that the other extracts. The MICs of the crude extracts from both plants ranged from 1.56 mg/mL to 50 mg/mL while the MBCs were between 12.5 mg/mL and ˃100 mg/mL. The fractions on the other hand exhibited lower MICs and MBCs; with MICs ranging between ≤0.039 mg/mL and 3.125 mg/mL and MBCs between 1.525 mg/mL and 12.5 mg/mL. Bactericidal kinetics showed a total kill at 24 hours at 10 mg/mL and 5 mg/mL for both fractions.