Phytochemical Analysis and Antimicrobial Potential of Extracts and Fractions of Brosimum Gaudichaudii Trécul Against Bacteria of Clinical Importance

Abstract

Medicinal plants constitute an arsenal of products with different potentials to be explored. Therefore, the objective of this paper was to assess the antimicrobial potential of the ethanolic extract from Brosimum gaudichaudii leaves and fractions against clinically important bacteria. The crude extracts and fractions from the leaves and stem bark were used against Escherichia coli, Klesbsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus strains. The crude extracts and the fractions were obtained by means of maceration in ethanol and chemically characterized. In the results of the phytochemical screening, the presence of a variety of secondary metabolites was verified, such as flavonoids, steroids, saponins, alkaloids, tannins and coumarins. The extracts and their fractions showed inhibitory activity for all three bacteria tested. The inhibition halo varied from 8±0.00 to 14±0.00 mm fir K. pneumoniae, from 8±0.00 to 10±0.00 mm for P. aeruginosa and from 8±0.00 to 9±0.00 mm for S. aureus. Among the fractions tested, the ethyl acetate fraction from both the stem and the leaves presented the best inhibition potential. This indicates that the Brosimum gaudichaudii Trécul vegetable extracts present antimicrobial potential. Such being the case, it is suggested to isolate the metabolites present in this fraction to delimit the main compounds responsible for the antimicrobial action.