Chemical composition, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of two Spondias species from Northeastern Brazil

• Published in: Pharmaceutical biology Vol. 50; no. 6; p. 740
• Main Authors: da Silva, Ana Raquel Araújo, de Morais, Selene Maia, Marques, Márcia Maria Mendes, de Oliveira, Danielle Ferreira, Barros, Caroline Costa, de Almeida, Raimundo Rafael, Vieira, Ícaro Gusmão Pinto, Guedes, Maria Izabel Florindo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01-06-2012
• Subjects: Anacardiaceae - chemistry; Anti-Bacterial Agents - chemistry; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Antioxidants - chemistry; Antioxidants - pharmacology; Brazil; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Ellagic Acid - analysis; Enterobacteriaceae - drug effects; Ethnopharmacology; Flavonoids - analysis; Free Radical Scavengers - chemistry; Free Radical Scavengers - pharmacology; Inhibitory Concentration 50; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Plant Extracts - chemistry; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Leaves - chemistry; Pseudomonas aeruginosa - drug effects; Brazil
• ISSN: 1744-5116
• DOI: 10.3109/13880209.2011.627347

The leaves of Spondias tuberosa Arr. Cam. (Anacardiaceae) and Spondias mombin L. have been traditionally used for medicinal purposes. Some studies reveal their antibacterial, antimicrobial, and antiviral properties.
Determine the chemical composition, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities of Spondias species to justify its ethnopharmacological use.
Spondias species extracts were prepared with methanol:water 80:20 and analyzed by silica gel column chromatography and reversed phase liquid chromatography (HPLC). The antioxidant activity was evaluated by scavenging the radicals 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) and 2,2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS•+) and measuring antimicrobial activity (agar well diffusion method, minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentrations).
The HPLC analysis of Spondias extracts demonstrated the occurrence of high yield of flavonoids. Found in S. mombin were quercetin (2.36 ± 0.01 mg/g) and ellagic acid (41.56 ± 0.01 mg/g) and in S. tuberosa species rutin (53.38 ± 1.71 mg/g), quercetin (24.46 ± 0.87 mg/g), and ellagic acid (169.76 ± 0.17 mg/g). The antibacterial activity of the extracts against the various bacteria strains varied from 8.8 to 20.1 mm. MIC values from 62.5 to 125 µg/mL were satisfactory when compared with other plant products. Medium DPPH scavenging activity IC₅₀ for Spondias extracts varied from 0.042 to 0.558 mg/mL and for ABTS from 0.089 to 0.465 mg/mL. DPPH scavenging activity for constituent ellagic acid IC₅₀ = 0.042 mg/mL and for quercetin IC₅₀ = 0.081 mg/mL.
The chemical study of Spondias leaf extracts showed the occurrence of quercetin, rutin and ellagic acid, substances with relevant antioxidant and antimicrobial activities.