Antimicrobial Activity and Tentative Identification of Active Compounds from the Medicinal Ephedra alata Male Plant

ObjectiveEvaluation of antimicrobial activity of Ephedra alata male plant against bacteria, fungi, yeast, and fungi; and tentative identification of active compounds related to its antimicrobial activity.MethodsFour bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, and Escherichia coli and four fungi, Aspergillus fumigatus, Penicillium italicum, Syncephalastrum racemosum, and Candida albicans were used as test microorganisms. The stem of E. alata was extracted by different solvents. Thin layer chromatography was used for the separation of active constituents whereas mass spectrometer analysis was used for the identification of major fractions constituents.ResultsAmong all solvents tested, acetonitrile extracts exhibited the most potent antimicrobial effect with a broad spectral range. Thin layer chromatographic separation of active constituents in acetonitrile extracts revealed the presence of seven fractions. All fractions showed antimicrobial activities with four fractions having a potent inhibitory effect. Two fractions out of the four were successfully identified using mass spectrophotometer analysis. The tentative identification revealed two compounds having an aromatic nature and were identified as benzo [g] pteridine -8-hydroxy-7,10- dimethyl -2,4 dione (previously reported in plants) and 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic dinonyl ester (firstly reported natural occurrence, and thus we suggested calling it Alatine (1).ConclusionAlatine (1) with its broad antimicrobial spectrum could represent a good candidate for further microbiological and chemical analysis, and E. alata plant can be further subjected to isolation of the therapeutic compounds and further pharmacological evaluation.