Bioactivity of Ilex paraguariensis Extracts: Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Effects Against Clinical Isolates
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59675/P413Keywords:
Ilex paraguariensis; antimicrobial activity; antioxidant activity; aqueous extract; methanolic extract; clinical isolatesAbstract
Background: Natural bioactive substances with antibacterial and antioxidant qualities are abundant in medicinal plants. The biological activities of Ilex paraguariensis (yerba mate) can be related to its phytochemical composition that contains polyphenols and flavonoids. Objective: The present study aimed to analyze the antibacterial and antioxidant properties of aqueous and methanolic extracts from Ilex paraguariensis against several clinical microorganisms. Methods: Clinical samples of both Gram-staining positive and negative bacterial strains and yeast were collected and identified by the standard laboratory methods. Well diffusion agar test was employed to evaluate the spectrum of antimicrobial activity at different doses (60, 120, 240, and 480 mg/mL). The DPPH test was used to assess the free radical scavenging activity. Results: In comparison to the aqueous extract, both extracts demonstrated antibacterial activity against the studied microorganisms with the aqueous extract demonstrating significantly larger zones of inhibition than the methanolic extract. The aqueous extract was relatively greater activity against (-ve Gram) bacteria, especially Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae meanwhile the methanolic extract was more selective against Candida albicans. The difference in activity could be due to the difference in solubility and extraction efficacy of bioactive compounds. The aqueous extract was found to have higher antioxidant activity than the methanolic extract due to higher number of water-soluble phytochemicals present in the aqueous extract. Conclusion: According to the findings, Ilex paraguariensis has intriguing antibacterial and antioxidant properties, particularly its aqueous extract. It might be a natural source of bioactive chemicals with therapeutic potential; nevertheless, more in vivo and phytochemical investigations are needed to determine its efficacy and mechanism of action.
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