STUDIES ON ANTIBACTERIAL, CYTOTOXIC AND ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF THE SEEDS AND LEAVES OF FICUS RACEMOSA

The seeds and leaves of Ficus racemosa have shown considerable antioxidant and cytotoxicity properties while their antibacterial activities were found low. The extracts were found to have different levels of antioxidant and cytotoxicity properties in different concentration. For antioxidant activity, here we used free radial scavenging activity of plant extracts against stable DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl 2-picrylhydrazyl) which was determined spectrophotometrically by the method described in Brand William et al., (1995). Methanolic extracts of these plants were used. As we know that ascorbic acid is a perfect antioxidant, that’s why it was used as a standard reference. The absorbance was taken at 517nm by UV spectrophotometer. The IC₅₀ (Inhibitory Concentration) value of standard was 8.287µg/ml. The IC₅₀ value of Ficus racemosa seeds and leaves were 3.893µg/ml and 14.5µg/ml respectively. For Cytotoxicity, brine shrimp lethality bioassay was used. We used Vincristine sulfate as a standard reference. The LC₅₀ value of standard was 0.057µg/ml. The LC₅₀ (Lethal Concentration) value of the seeds and leaves were 0.56µg/ml and 0.467µg/ml respectively. The plant has shown significant activities against Surcina lutea.