In Vitro Antibacterial Activity of Sour Fig (Suurvy) Native to South Africa

Abstract: Sour figs have become a provincial demand in South Africa for the treatment of common infections. The plant has displayed antioxidant activity. The plant leaves were extracted with hexane, acetone, and ethanol using Stuart Sharker, UK. The extracts' antibacterial activity was evaluated by determining the MICs in a range of 7.8-500.0 μg/ml against ten strains using micro-well dilution. Cytotoxicity was evaluated with brine shrimp using the same concentrations. The hexane extract exhibited good activity against L. monocytogenes, S. pyogenes, S. aureus, and S. typhimurium at MIC values of 15.6 µg/ml. Acetone extract showed the strongest activity against B. cereus and S. pyogenes at MIC 31.2 µg/ml. Ethanol extract displayed MIC activity ranging from 31.2 to 500 μg/ml against all the bacterial strains. The brine shrimps did not survive the various concentrations. The study indicates that the plant possesses potent bioactive activity, but may be toxic to the human body. Key words- Antibacterial, brine shrimps’ cytotoxicity, sour fig herbs.