Abstract
To avail the possible pharmacological actions of Bridelia ferruginea Benth., the present investigation was designed to quantitatively analyze the total flavonoid and phenolic contents and assess the various antioxidant and enzyme inhibition properties of leaf and stem bark extracts (ethyl acetate, water and methanolic) of B. ferruginea. Anti-proliferative effect was also investigated against human colon cancer cells (HCT116) as well as the antimicrobial potential against multiple bacterial and fungal (yeasts and dermatophytes) strains. The methanolic and water extracts of the stem bark demonstrated the highest phenolic content (193.58 ± 0.98 and 187.84 ± 1.88 mg/g, respectively), while the leaf extracts showed comparatively higher flavonoid contents (24.37–42.31 mg/g). Overall, the methanolic extracts were found to possess the most significant antioxidant potency. Compared to the other extracts, methanolic extracts of the B. ferruginea were revealed to be most potent inhibitors of acetyl- and butyryl-cholinesterases, tyrosinase α-amylase, except α-glucosidase. Only the ethyl acetate extracts were found to inhibit glucosidase. Additionally, the stem bark methanolic extract also showed potent inhibitory activity against E. coli and gram-positive bacteria (MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration): 2.48–62.99 µg/mL), as well as all the tested fungi (MIC: 4.96–62.99 µg/mL). In conclusion, B. ferruginea can be regarded as a promising source of bioactive compounds displaying multifunctional pharmacological activities and thus is a potential candidate for further investigations in the endeavor to develop botanical formulations for pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical industries.
Highlights
Bridelia ferruginea Benth. (Phyllanthaceae), a popular plant species found in the Savannah regions or rain forests of Africa [1], growing as a twisted shrub that occasionally reaches the size of a tree, is greatly used in ethnomedicine for treating various ailments in different parts of Africa [2]
The quantitative analysis of the total flavonoid and phenolic contents of methanolic, water, and ethyl acetate extracts of leaves and stem bark of B. ferruginea was carried out using standard colorimetric assays
The extracts were found to possess relatively moderate to significant total phenolic content ranging from 26.07–193.58 mg/g
Summary
Bridelia ferruginea Benth. (Phyllanthaceae), a popular plant species found in the Savannah regions or rain forests of Africa [1], growing as a twisted shrub that occasionally reaches the size of a tree, is greatly used in ethnomedicine for treating various ailments in different parts of Africa [2]. Numerous studies have reported extracts of B. ferruginea to demonstrate a range of in vivo and in vitro pharmacological activities including anti-plasmodial, antidiarrheal, ulcer-protective, antimicrobial, anti-neuroinflammatory, and hypoglycaemic effects, amongst others [1,6,7,8]. Several phenolic compounds isolated from B. ferruginea stem bark were found to display radical scavenging and xanthine oxidase inhibition activities, supporting the application of B. ferruginea in traditional medicine for treating rheumatic pains [10]. B. ferruginea, being a reputed medicinal plant, was selected in this study for analysis of the total flavonoid and phenolic contents of its leaves and stem bark extracts (ethyl acetate, water, and methanolic), together with the evaluation of their efficacy as potential enzyme inhibitors and antioxidants. A bio-pharmacological investigation was conducted for unravelling potential applications of B. ferruginea extracts as anti-proliferative and antimicrobial agents. A bioinformatics analysis was performed to investigate the putative mechanisms underlying the obtained bio-pharmacological effects
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