Antimicrobial and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Bauhinia Pulchella Extract Fractions

This study investigates the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities of fractions from the stem extract of Bauhinia pulchella Benth. The ethanolic extract was fractionated using column adsorption chromatography, resulting in a hexane fraction (J1) and a dichloromethane fraction (J2), both rich in terpenes and steroids. Characterization was performed using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Antimicrobial activity was assessed through minimal lethal concentrations (MLC) and minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC), and the checkerboard method was employed to evaluate the synergistic effect. For anti-inflammatory activity, an in vitro model using murine macrophage cell culture (RAW 264.7) was employed to measure the levels of nitric oxide (NO), TGF-β, and TNF-α. The results demonstrated antimicrobial activity against P. aeruginosa ATCC 10226, S. cholerasuis ATCC 14028, the genus Candida, S. epidermidis ATCC 12228, and S. aureus ATCC 25923. Synergism was observed between the fractions and cephalexin, norfloxacin, gentamicin, and polymyxin. The use of fractions J1 (125, 62.5, and 31.25 µg/mL) and J2 (62.5 µg/mL) resulted in a significant reduction in TNF-α levels. For NO and TGF-β, both J1 (125, 62.5, and 31.25 µg/mL) and J2 (62.5, 31.25, and 15.625 µg/mL) fractions showed significant reductions in these inflammatory markers.