Abstract
The antimicrobial potential of extracts of bark and leaves of Cassia bakeriana Craib, Fabaceae, against aerobic and anaerobic oral bacteria was evaluated by the microdilution broth method. For crude ethanol extracts and organic fractions tested, the bark dichloromethane phase showed a significant antibacterial effect, with MIC values ranging from 12.5 to 100 μg/ml for most of the microorganisms tested. Thus, a bioassay-guided fractionation of this fraction was performed. This fractionation led to isolation of the 1,8-dihydroxy-anthraquinone-3-carboxylic acid, also known as cassic acid or rhein. It is the first time that this bioactive anthraquinone has been isolated from this plant. Rhein exhibited good selectivity and high activity against anaerobic microorganisms, with MIC values ranging between 3.12 μg/ml (11.0 μM) and 25 μg/ml (88.0 μM). These results were considered very promising since the most active samples and rhein showed greater selectivity against oral microorganisms than toxicity to Vero cells.
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LCSC (PhD student) conducted the work with the species C. bakeriana. SALM and FJTA were responsible for the research project with the species C. bakeriana. EAN, AO and RC contributed with mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance identifications. CHGM contributed to biological studies of antibacterial activity. CVS contributed to cytotoxicity assays. MMM (PhD student) contributed conducting the cytotoxicity assays. LCFS and TTB (undergraduate students) collaborated with the sample preparations, column chromatography and TLC analysis. All the authors have read the final manuscript and approved the submission.
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Cunha, L.C.S., de Morais, S.A.L., de Aquino, F.J.T. et al. Bioassay-guided fractionation and antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of Cassia bakeriana extracts. Rev. Bras. Farmacogn. 27, 91–98 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjp.2016.08.002
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjp.2016.08.002