Analysis of aristolochlic acids and evaluation of antibacterial activity of Aristolochia clematitis L.

Abstract

Introduction Several Aristolochia species were used as medicinal herb across Europe and in recent years, their antimicrobial activity has also been investigated. Materials and methods In this study, A. clematitis was selected to evaluate the aristolochic acids I and II (AA I and AA II) concentrations and the antimicrobial activity of methanol, hexane, butanol, and ethyl acetate extracts of the root, stem, leaf, root, and fruit. AA I and AA II contents were measured by a validated high-performance liquid chromatography–ultraviolet method. Results Each fraction of the plant contained AA I and AA II and the root was found to have the highest contents of AA I (1.09%) and AA II (0.7454%). The minimum inhibitory concentrations of all extracts were determined by standard microdilution method. The fruit’s extracts showed the most efficient antimicrobial effect against both methicillin sensitive and resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains. Conclusion Correlation between the AA I and AA II concentrations and the antimicrobial effect was not found.