Evaluation of the Antibacterial Activity and Toxicity Properties of Funtumia elastica (Preuss) Stapf. (TSN 30176), Used in Traditional Medicine in Nigeria

Background: The urgent need for new and novel antibacterial chemotherapy to combat the worrisome emergence of antimicrobial resistance necessitated the exploration of medicinal plants such as Funtumia elastica. This study was designed to evaluate the antibacterial activity, acute and sub-acute toxicity studies of Funtumia elastica which is used in the ethnomedical treatment of infections.

Methods: The leaves and stem bark of F. elastica were collected, pulverized, extracted using soxhlet extractor and evaluated phytochemically. Antibacterial activities and Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MIC) of the crude extracts were investigated on clinical isolates using agar well diffusion. Bioactive fractions of the dichloromethane extract were obtained through column chromatography and thin layer chromatography. Acute and subacute toxicity studies were evaluated on the dichloromethane extract (DCM) using female Swiss albino mice.

Results: The leaves contain tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, steroids, saponins, and glycosides while the stem contains tannins and steroids. The hexane extracts lack activities while DCM and ethylacetate extracts of F. elastica were found to have some degree of activities on tested clinical isolates. Bioactivity guided fractionation of the DCM extract yielded only fraction 2 been active on the clinical isolates at 3.5625mg/mL. There were no signs of acute toxicity at the maximum dose of 5000mg/kg body weight. Biochemical parameters showed no significant changes in the liver enzymes. This infers that the extract might not have any negative impact on the liver with regards to metabolism.

Conclusion: The moderate antibacterial activities of Funtumia elastica extracts justified its ethnomedicinal uses and potential to furnish new antimicrobials.