Antimicrobial activity of the extract from the twigs of Dorstenia Elliptica (Moraceae)

Abstract

The crude extract from the twigs of Dorstenia elliptica (DET) as well one of the five compounds isolated from this extract namely O-[3-(2, 2-dimethyl-3-oxo-2H-furan-5-yl)-3- hydroxybutyl]bergaptol (5) were tested for their antimicrobial activity against bacteria and fungi. The Agar disc diffusion test was used to determine the sensitivity of the tested samples while the well micro-dilution was used to determine the minimal inhibition concentrations (MIC) and the minimal microbicidal concentration (MMC) of the active samples. The results of the disc diffusion assay showed that DET prevented the growth of all the 22 tested microbial species while the two tested compounds showed selective activity. At the tested MIC interval ranged from 1.22 to 156.25 μg/ml for the crude extracts and 0.08 to 39.06 μg/ml for the compounds, the activity of DET was noted on 20 of the 22 microbial species. The antimicrobial activities of DET as well as that compound 5 are being reported for the first time. The overall results provide promising baseline information for the potential use of the crude extract in the treatment of bacterial and fungal infections.