Antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of Betula aetnensis Rafin. (Betulaceae) leaves extract

Nat Prod Res. 2013 Mar;27(4-5):475-9. doi: 10.1080/14786419.2012.695364. Epub 2012 Jun 18.

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial effects, the radical scavenging activity (by DPPH and ABTS tests) and the antioxidant capacity (by β-carotene bleaching test) of Betula aetnensis leaves extract. The antimicrobial activity was tested against 14 Gram-positive clinical strains, 2 ATCC Gram-positive strains, 10 Gram-negative clinical strains and 4 Gram-negative ATCC strains. Streptococcus pyogenes Ery-S and Ery-R1 were the most sensitive. Betula aetnensis was considerably active against three bacterial strains, namely Haemophilus influenzae ATCC 49247, Amp-R1 and Moraxella catarrhalis ATCC 25238. Standard ATCC strains of Gram-positive bacteria were more sensitive than Gram-negative. Betula aetnensis showed also an interesting reducing power with TEAC values of 9.7 and a good inhibition of linoleic acid oxidation with an IC50 value of 22.0 µg mL(-1) after 30 min of incubation. The total phenol and flavonoid contents were determined with the purpose to evaluate the relationship with the observed bioactivities.

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / chemistry*
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Antioxidants / chemistry*
  • Betula / chemistry*
  • Haemophilus influenzae / drug effects
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Moraxella catarrhalis / drug effects
  • Plant Extracts / chemistry*
  • Plant Extracts / pharmacology
  • Plant Leaves / chemistry*

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Antioxidants
  • Plant Extracts