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. 2017 Sep;17(3):790-796.
doi: 10.4314/ahs.v17i3.22.

Anti-bacterial, free radical scavenging activity and cytotoxicity of acetone extracts of Grewia flava

Stella Makgabo Lamola  1 , Jean Paul Dzoyem  1   2 , Francien Botha  1 , Candice van Wyk  3
Affiliations

Anti-bacterial, free radical scavenging activity and cytotoxicity of acetone extracts of Grewia flava

Stella Makgabo Lamola et al. Afr Health Sci. 2017 Sep.

Abstract

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.

Objectives: 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.

Conclusion: 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.

Keywords: Extracts; Grewia flava; anti-microbial; cytotoxicity; enteric pathogens.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
TLC chromatogram of the berries, leaves, bark and roots extracts developed in the BEA system (A) in the EMW system (B) and in the CEF system (C) and sprayed with vanillin--H2SO4.
Figure 2
Figure 2
TLC chromatogram of the berries, leaves, bark and roots extracts developed in theBEA system (A) in the EMW system (B) and in the CEF system (C) and sprayed with DPPH.
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