The main goal of this study was to determine in vitro antimicrobial activity of ethanolic extracts obtained from the leaves of various Ficus species against Aeromonas hydrophila isolated locally from infected rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum) with the aim of providing scientific rationale for the use of the plant in the treatment of bacterial infections induced by Aeromonas spp. in fish. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done on Muller-Hinton agar with the disc diffusion method. In the present study, most ethanolic extracts proved effective against the A. hydrophila tested, with 10-12 mm inhibition zones observed. A. hydrophila demonstrated the highest susceptibility to F. pumila. Among various species of Ficus with moderate activity against A. hydrophila, the highest antibacterial activities were noted for F. benghalensis, F. benjamina, F. deltoidea, F. hispida, and F. lyrata. Thus, Ficus can be used as a natural antiseptic and antimicrobial agent in veterinary practice. Further investigations need to be conducted to isolate and identify the bioactive compounds that can then be subjected to detailed pharmacological studies and the development of clinical applications. The alarming rate of increasing resistance in bacterial pathogens in aquaculture environments means that medicinal plants with antibacterial properties are very important as natural resources of new active compounds.

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The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro antioxidant activity of aqueous extracts from the leaves developed on the shoots of various developmental stages (juvenile and mature/generative) of Ficus pumila L. using the oxidative stress biomarkers [2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), carbonyl derivatives content of protein oxidative modification, total antioxidant capacity] on the equine erythrocytes' suspension model. Freshly collected leaves were washed, weighed, crushed, and homogenized in 0.1M phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) (in proportion 1 : 19, w/w). The equine erythrocyte aliquots were used in the study. A volume of 0.1 ml of the F. pumila extract was added to 1.9 ml of clean equine erythrocytes. For positive control (blank), phosphate buffer was used. The treatment with the extract obtained from leaves of mature shoots reduced the erythrocytes TBARS level by 22% (p = 0.029), while TBARS level was increased by 15.5% (p >0.05) when incubated with an extract derived from leaves of juvenile shoots as compared to untreated erythrocytes. When equine erythrocytes were incubated with extract obtained from leaves of mature shoots, the ketonic derivatives level was significantly decreased by 6.9% (p = 0.040), while non-significantly decrease both aldehydic and ketonic derivatives of OMP was observed after incubation with extract derived from juvenile shoots (by 8.18 and 12.5%, p >0.05). The treatment by F. pumila leaf extract (from juvenile and mature shoots) caused the increase of TAC in erythrocyte suspension as compared to untreated erythrocytes. Thus, extracts derived from both juvenile and mature shoots resulted in an increase of total antioxidant capacity of equine erythrocytes' suspension.

Medicinal plants have a great potential for providing novel drug leads with proven mechanism of action. The aim of our study was to investigate in vitro antimicrobial activity of ethanolic extract prepared from Ficus benghalensis L. leaves against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus locally isolated and Streptococcus pneumoniae) and Gram-negative bacterial strains (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli), as well as against fungus Candida albicans to determine the possible use of this plant in preventing infections. Antimicrobial activity of crude extract of the plant sample was evaluated by the paper disc diffusion method. Ethanolic extract obtained from leaves of Ficus benghalensis showed moderate antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, while no significant antibacterial activity against Klebsiella pneumoniae and Streptococcus pneumoniae, methicillin-resistant S. aureus and Candida albicans was demonstrated. Among the tested microbial strains, bacteria were found to be more sensitive to many of the test agents than fungi. The antibacterial activity was more pronounced on the Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) than the Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). The broad antibacterial activities of this extract could be as a result of the plant secondary metabolites (carbohydrates, reducing sugars, sterols, glycosides, phenolic compounds, tannins, saponins and flavonoids). Therefore, Ficus benghalensis has a great medicinal potential for the therapy of infections induced by Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and may be used as a natural antiseptic and antimicrobial agent in medicine. Further investigation is necessary to identify those bioactive compounds, which will be a platform for clinical applications.

Introduction The most frequently isolated bacteria in Polish aquaculture are of the Aeromonas genus; also pathogenic to human fish consumers, they cause substantial economic losses, and require antibiotic therapy to treat. Antibiotic residues in animal-derived food provoke concern. The aim of the study was to appraise the antimicrobial activity of ethanolic extracts of Ficus plant species against Aeromonas strains. Material and Methods Leaves of 41 Ficus species were collected from two Ukrainian botanic gardens. They were crushed, washed, homogenized in ethanol and centrifuged, and the supernatants were applied in the Kirby–Bauer disc-diffusion method to assess the susceptibility to them of Aeromonas hydrophila, A. sobria, and A. salmonicia subsp. salmonicida isolates confirmed as K886, K825, and St30 strains. Analogous assessment was also made of these bacteria’s susceptibility to sulfonamides, quinolones, tetracyclines, and one amphenicol. Data were analysed statistically. Results The majority of the extracts considerably inhibited bacterial growth, A. sobria being susceptible to 14 Ficus species, A. salmonicida subsp. salmonicida to 13, and A. hydrophila to 10. Conclusion Treatment with plant extracts has promise as an alternative to antibiotic therapy. Botanic gardens may offer new sources of plant-derived agents with a broad spectrum of biological and antimicrobial action. Further research will be useful to broaden knowledge of Ficus’ therapeutic potential.