The synthesis of nanoparticles using medicinal plants is a potential pathway for developing environmentally friendly drugs with minimal side effects. The aim of this study was to isolate heptadecyl-trans-p-coumarate from the medicinal plant, Artemisia afra, utilise it and its extract to synthesise silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) and iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe2O3NPs) that were evaluated for antibacterial and cytotoxic activity. AgNPs synthesised from the coumarate and extract were mostly spherical with an average size of 12 nm and 29 nm, respectively. ZnONPs were mostly rods, plates and spheres with average sizes of 31 nm (extract) and 22 nm (coumarate). Fe2O3NPs were hexagons and spheres with average sizes of 31 nm (extract) and 24 nm (coumarate). Nanoparticles improved the antibacterial activity of the extract and coumarate against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Chromobacterium violaceum and Staphylococcus aureus. Shape of nanoparticles influenced activity; rod-shaped ZnONPs and platelet-like Fe2O3NPs synthesised using the extract exhibited better antibacterial activity. Spherical ZnONPs synthesised using the coumarate and spherical AgNPs showed greater cytotoxicity. The results suggest a synergistic effect between the metal nanoparticles and capping agents. Overall, this study confirms the use of Artemisia afra for the biosynthesis of silver, zinc oxide and iron oxide nanoparticles.

Abstract Four triterpenoids, ergosta-4,6,8(14),22-tetraene-3-one 1, stigma-4-ene-3-one 2, 3β-hydroxy-21β-H-hop-22(29)-ene 3, sitosterol and a quinone, tectoquinone 4, were isolated from the leaf, stem bark and fruit extracts of Ficus natalensis subsp. natalensis, Moraceae, a medicinal fig found in Africa. The pure compounds 1–4 and crude extracts were tested for their antibacterial activity against five Gram-negative and seven Gram-positive strains and for their potential anti-biofilm activity. Antimicrobial susceptibility was observed with all pure compounds tested at 250 µg against the majority of Gram-negative and Gram-positive strains. The dichloromethane-soluble fruit extract was active against sensitive and resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains, Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus xylosus. Compounds 2, 3 and 4 demonstrated broad-spectrum antibiotic effects against eight of the twelve bacterial strains tested. In the anti-biofilm assay, exposure to ethyl acetate, methanol and aqueous methanol leaf, stem bark and fruit extracts decreased adhesion with a biofilm reduction of ≥100% for all three tested organisms: Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and S. aureus. The methanol leaf extract demonstrated the most potent anti-adhesion potential against E. coli (218% biofilm reduction). The greatest ability to decrease adhesion was observed with compounds 2, 3 and 5 against P. aeruginosa at the lowest concentration tested (100 µg ml−1).