Antimicrobial and cytotoxic extractives from Ficus sycomorus L. (Moraceae)

Abstract

Our search for antimicrobial and cytotoxic leads from Ficus sycomorus led to the isolation of twenty-four known compounds (1‒24) from its methanolic stem bark and root extracts. The structures of all the isolated compounds were established using their 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopic data while the crude extracts, some fractions and compounds were tested for their antibacterial, antifungal and cytotoxicity activities. In the antimicrobial assay, compound 18 displayed good to moderate activity with MIC values of 31.25 µg/ml against Escherichia coli, 125 µg/ml against Salmonella typhimurium cpc and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, while compounds 10, 13 and 14 demonstrated moderate activities on almost all the tested strains, with the highest potency observed for compound 13 on E. coli (MIC = 125 µg/ml). However, although compounds 18 and 19 gave a significant inhibition of the VERO cell line ATCC CRT-1586 with CC50 values of 52.60 µg/ml and 69.10 µg/ml, respectively, all the extract samples and other tested compounds did not show distinguishable cytotoxicity. Finally, the chemophenetic significance of the isolated compounds is discussed.