An alternative synergistic strategy to combat wound pathogens with the antimicrobial and antioxidant-rich herbal...

The quest to identify plant-based therapeutics with robust antimicrobial properties has recently intensified due to the increased severity of illness caused by wound pathogens. Consequently, many medicinal plants have undergone screening for their bioactivities, especially those exhibiting antimicrobial and antioxidant potential. Medicinal plants with potent activities were considered valuable assets. The current study delves into the phytochemical, antimicrobial, and antioxidant potential of six medicinal plants (Macaranga peltata, Mimosa pudica, Tridax procumbens, Hemigraphis alternata, Alternanthera brasiliana, Catharanthus roseus) against wound-causing pathogens. The leaves of these plants were processed, extracted with methanol, and tested for their phytochemical content. Antimicrobial activity was assessed using agar-well diffusion techniques, while antioxidant activity was determined via free radical scavenging, reducing power, and metal chelating assays. All methanolic leaf extracts demonstrated commendable antimicrobial and antioxidant activity. Furthermore, an herbal blend was prepared by blending all six leaf powders in different ratios and subjected to methanolic extraction to evaluate their bioactivities. Notably, the 70:30 ratio blend demonstrated efficient antimicrobial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (17 ± 0.15 mm) and Candida albicans (17 ± 0.05 mm), as well as enhanced scavenging activity in an antioxidant assay at a concentration of 100 μg/ml (88.89 ± 0.169%). The infrared spectra of the herbal blend (70:30) indicate the presence of polyphenols, alkanes, alkenes, ketones, and carboxylic groups in the plant extract mixture, contributing to their collective bioactive potential. Overall, these findings suggest that this antioxidant-rich herbal blend holds promise as a good therapeutic potential against wound-causing pathogens, offering promising avenues for managing acute and chronic wound ailments.