Phytochemical Analysis and Antimicrobial Activity of <i>Lawsonia</i> <i>inermis</i> Leaf Extracts from Burkina Faso

Abstract

Lawsonia inermis is a hairless plant growing in various regions of North Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and the Middle East. It possesses many medicinal attributes, including curative properties against infectious dermatoses. This study was carried out to evaluate the phytochemical profile of the crude ethanolic extract of the plant leaves and its fractions as well as their antimicrobial activities. The phytochemical profile was performed using high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Additionally, the phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu spectrophotometric and the aluminum trichloride methods. Antimicrobial activity was tested using disc diffusion and microdilution methods. The presence of flavonoids, tannins, sterols, and triterpenes was revealed. GC-MS detected twelve compounds main compounds consisting of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids and phenolic and terpenoid compounds among twenty-seven components. HPLC also detected high contents of phenolic acids and flavonoids. The most abundant triterpene and sterols were ursolic acid (around 43.14 g/100g DW, 13.9 g/100g dry weight (DW), and