Phytochemical Screening, Phenolic Compounds Content, Antioxidant, Anti-inflammatory, and Antimicrobial Properties of Pachylobus balsamifera Guillaum from Gabon

Abstract

The goal of this work is to evaluate the antioxidant anti-inflammatory properties, the phenolic compounds content, and antimicrobial potential of water–acetone, water–ethanol, and water extracts of Pachylobus balsamifera. The phenolic compounds content was evaluated to estimate their effect on the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial potential of the plant. Antioxidant activities were examined by DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis) assays. Antiinflammatory activity was determined by the proteins denaturation inhibition method. All plant extracts were evaluated against six reference strains, eleven clinical isolates, and two fungal strains. Phenols content was highest in the water–acetone and water–ethanol extracts. The water extract showed strong anti-inflammatory effect. The water–acetone extract presented a strong antioxidant property and the highest antimicrobial activities against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, Salmonella Sp., and Neisseria meningitidis. The tested microorganisms showed sensitivity to all extracts of the plant with the exception of Escherichia coli 105182 CIP, Listeria innocua LMG 135668 BHI, Salmonella enterica, Salmonella typhi, and Neisseria gonorrhea. Our results suggest that Pachylobus balsamifera extracts contain antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties.