Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of Phanera aureifolia (K.Larsen & S.S.Larsen) Bandyop., P.P.Ghoshal & M.K.Pathak Leaf Ethanolic Extracts

Introduction: Natural antioxidants and antimicrobial agents are abundantly found in medicinal plants. Objective: This study evaluated the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of two colors from Phanera aureifolia (K.Larsen & S.S.Larsen) Bandyop., P.P.Ghoshal & M.K.Pathak leaf ethanolic extracts including gold and green leaves. Method: To assess antimicrobial efficacy, the agar well diffusion technique was analyzed. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was utilized to investigate the ultrastructural alterations in MRSA caused by leaf extracts. DPPH assay was used to assess antioxidant activity. The total amounts of phenolic compounds and flavonoids were evaluated through the Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride colorimetric techniques, respectively. The statistical analysis using an independent t-test. Results: Both extracts demonstrated activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa TISTR146, Micrococcus luteus TISTR884, Staphylococcus aureus TISTR517 and Methicillin-resistant S. aureus 142 (MRSA142). Their activity against M. luteus TISTR884 was the highest observed. The MIC of both extracts against MRSA were 10 mg/ml. SEM analysis revealed that the cells exhibited noticeable enlargement and swelling compared to untreated MRSA cells. Extract from the green leaves of Gold leaf Bauhinia showed greater radical scavenging activity, higher total phenolic and flavonoid contents, compared to those from the golden leaves. Conclusions: The findings show that the extract from the green leaves of Gold leaf Bauhinia possess higher antioxidant potential compared to those from the golden leaves. In addition, both extracts exhibited antimicrobial activity, especially against MRSA.