Anti-bacterial, free radical scavenging activity and cytotoxicity of acetone extracts of Grewia flava.
Maneno muhimu
Kikemikali
BACKGROUND
Bacterial infections of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) cause vomiting, diarrhoea and even systemic disease. There is a need for the development of natural products into alternative and safer medicines.
OBJECTIVE
This study evaluated the anti-microbial activity of extracts prepared from berries, leaves, bark and roots of the edible plant Grewia flava.
METHODS
The anti-bacterial activity was evaluated by the broth microdilution method. Anti-oxidant activity of the most active extracts was performed by 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The cytotoxicity of the extracts was determined using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay.
RESULTS
The acetone extracts of the leaves and roots showed the best activity with MIC values as low as 0.03 mg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhimurium and 0.07 mg/mL against Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Quantitative analysis of the scavenging ability showed that acetone extracts exhibited good free radical scavenging activity in a dose-dependent manner. The berries extract had the highest LC50 (lowest toxicity) of 551.68 68 µg/mL.
CONCLUSIONS
Acetone extract of leaves and roots of Grewia flava contain anti-microbial and anti-oxidant compounds and could therefore be used as a natural product with little toxicity to host cells.
