Antibacterial activity of Ficus microcarpa L. extract on gram positive and gram negative bacteria

In view of increasing resistance to existing antimicrobial agents, herbal drugs are being looked as very important source for discovery of new agents for treating various ailments related to bacterial infections. These drugs have been used in India as folk remedy in the form of decoctions and infusions to treat bacterial infections and also claimed to be effective against variety of skin diseases. The present investigation was carried out to study the antibacterial efficacy of Ficus microcarpa L. It is a popular ornamental tree, grown widely, both indoors and outdoors. Bark, root, leaves, fruit and latex of this plant are frequently used for the treatment of various illnesses Aqueous and acetone extracts of the plant was subjected to antibacterial evaluation against both gram positive and gram negative bacteria. Disc diffusion and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) studies were carried out to assess the antibacterial effect. Cefotaxime was used as the reference standard. Aqueous extracts were found to be more effective against all the bacteria. Antibacterial activity obtained in this study varied with solvents used for extraction. F. microcarpa extracts showed moderate inhibition activity with the zone range of 7–14 mm. Maximum inhibition was observed against P. aeruginosa (18 mm) and minimum inhibition against E. coli (7 mm). Based on the MIC result P. aeruginosa was found to be more sensitive to the plant extract when compared with the other bacteria.