Original Research

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry chemical profile investigation and biological activities of ethylacetate fraction of Baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) pulp used in the treatment of urinary tract infections

Kehinde O. Fagbemi, Daniel A. Aina, Roger M. Coopoosamy, Olufunmiso O. Olajuyigbe
Journal of Medicinal Plants for Economic Development | Vol 6, No 1 | a117 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/jomped.v6i1.117 | © 2022 Kehinde O. Fagbemi, Daniel A. Aina, Roger M. Coopoosamy, Olufunmiso O. Olajuyigbe | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 02 April 2021 | Published: 11 January 2022

About the author(s)

Kehinde O. Fagbemi, Department of Microbiology, School of Science and Technology, Babcock University, Ilisan Remo, Nigeria
Daniel A. Aina, Department of Microbiology, School of Science and Technology, Babcock University, Ilisan Remo, Nigeria
Roger M. Coopoosamy, Department of Nature Conservation, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Mangosuthu University of Technology, Umlazi, Durban, South Africa
Olufunmiso O. Olajuyigbe, Department of Nature Conservation, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Mangosuthu University of Technology, Umlazi, Durban, South Africa

Abstract

Background: As a result of high percentage of women infected with urinary tract infection (UTI) annually, many rural dwellers use Adansonia digitata fruit pulp as herbal cure. Adansonia digitata L. (Malvaceae) is one of the great trees idolised in Africa because of its therapeutic properties.

Aim: This study aimed at identifying chemical compounds in the ethylacetate fraction of the baobab fruit pulp and indicated their biological activities to justify its use for the folkloric treatment of UTI.

Methods: The crude extract from Baobab fruit pulp was partitioned and ethylacetate extract was used for assay. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis was performed to identify the bioactive compounds in the ethylacetate fraction, antioxidant activity was evaluated using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays whilst the total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined by already adopted protocols. The antibacterial properties were tested against some urinary tract pathogens using macro broth dilution method.

Results: A total of 36 bioactive compounds were identified by GC–MS analysis, most of them have been reported as antibacterial, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antiasthma, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer agents. The extract exhibited highest activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) 19582 (1.22 mg/mL) whilst Escherichia coli ATCC 8739 (˃ 8.6 mg/mL) displayed high level of resistance amongst the five bacterial isolates used in this study.

Conclusion: These findings indicated that the extract contained bioactive compounds of therapeutic importance with significant antioxidant and antibacterial potentials and justify the folkloric use of this fruit in the treatment of UTIs by many African dwellers.


Keywords

Adansonia digitata; antioxidant; antibacterial; GC–MS analysis; phytochemicals

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Crossref Citations

1. Phytochemical Constituents of Adansonia digitata L. (Baobab) Fruit Pulp from Tekeze Valley, Tigrai, Ethiopia
Abebe Asmamaw Wasihun, Desta Berhe Sbhatu, Goitom Gebreyohannes Berhe, Kiros Hagos Abay, Gebreselema Gebreyohannes, Mahmood Ahmed
International Journal of Analytical Chemistry  vol: 2023  first page: 1  year: 2023  
doi: 10.1155/2023/5591059