Search

Objective To establish the chemical profile, and to evaluate the antibacterial and modulatory activity of the ethanolic extracts of the stalk's inner bark and heartwood of Secondatia floribunda . Methods Quantification of total phenols and flavonoids was determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method and aluminum chloride, respectively. Phenolic compounds were identified and quantified by HPLC-DAD (High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Diodearray Detector) and the Infrared Spectroscopy was performed using the measure by Attenuated Total Reflectance with Fourier Transform (ATR-FTIR). Antibacterial assays for determination of the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and modification of aminoglycosides were performed by microdilution. Results Infrared spectra showed similar characteristics, having among its main absorption bands hydroxyl group (OH). The antibacterial activity showed clinically significant results for the strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli . In modulation assay, synergic and antagonistic effect for both extracts was observed. Heartwood extract in combination with antibiotics showed a significant MIC reduction at 19.8% ( P P Conclusions This study is the first report of chemical and biological information of Secondatia floribunda suggesting that it is clinically relevant source of a new antibacterial therapy, especially due to the presence of significant levels of phenolic compounds.

The economic value of fig trees has been globally acknowledged due to their utilization in the food industry, being also frequently used in traditional medicine. While ubiquitously distributed in Southeast Asia, Ficus curtipes Corner remains uninvestigated concerning its biological properties and chemical profile. HPLC-DAD-ESI/MSn characterization of methanol extracts obtained from the stem bark and leaves allowed the identification and quantitation of 21 phenolic compounds for the first time; the stem bark was predominantly rich in flavan-3-ols and apigenin derivatives, while solely apigenin-di-glycosides have been identified and quantitated on the leaf extract. Both extracts inhibited 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) activity in a concentration-dependent manner, the one obtained from the stem bark being significantly more active (IC50 = 10.75 μg/mL). The effect of both extracts on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages was evaluated, and while the stem bark extract did not lead to a noticeable interference on nitric oxide (NO) levels, the extract obtained from the leaves notably decreased NO and L-citrulline levels at concentrations ranging from 250 to 500 μg/mL. Herein, F. curtipes is valorized due to its modulatory effects on inflammatory mediators and also as a source of bioactive phenols, which may fuel further studies on the development of nutraceuticals., The work was supported by UID/QUI/50006/2019 with funding from FCT/MCTES through national funds, and by Programa de Cooperación Interreg V-A España—Portugal (POCTEP) 2014–2020 (project 0377_IBERPHENOL_6_E). This work was also supported by national funds through FCT—Fundação para Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., under the project CEECIND/03037/2017. C. Andrade thanks FCT—Fundação para Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. for the grant SFRH/BD/131431/2017.