Solvent System-Guided Extraction of <i>Centaurium spicatum</i> (L.) Fritch Provides Optimized Conditions for the Biological and Chemical Characteristics of the Herbal Extracts

oleh: Jelena Božunović, Marija Ivanov, Jovana Petrović, Uroš Gašić, Đura Nakarada, Milica Milutinović, Neda Aničić, Zlatko Giba, Danijela Mišić, Dejan Stojković

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2023-02-01

Deskripsi

Spiked centaury (<i>Centaurium spicatum</i>) is a well-known medicinal plant from the Mediterranean region with various bioactivities, but there are no studies addressing the use of different solvent systems to improve its pharmacological potential. Nine extraction procedures were adapted to study the effects of solvent composition on the content of bioactive compounds in <i>C. spicatum</i> extracts and on corresponding bioactivities. Targeted metabolomics was performed to obtain information on the chemical composition of extracts. Ethanol-water-based extraction procedures were the most efficient in isolating polyphenols, while less polar butanol extract contained the highest amount of iridoids. Antioxidant potential analysis revealed stronger activity in extracts with higher polyphenol content. <i>Bacillus cereus</i> and <i>Staphylococus aureus</i> were designated as the most sensitive bacterial strains to the activity of extracts, while among the micromycetes tested, <i>Penicillium funiculosum</i> was the most susceptible strain. Butanol extract showed antivirulence potential on <i>Candida albicans</i> morphological transition from yeast to hyphal form, and selected extracts were effective against biofilm formation in two <i>Candida</i> species. All the extracts tested in this study showed no cytotoxic activity to immortalize human skin keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT), whereas extracts obtained by ethanol-water extraction stand out for their potent wound healing effects. Moreover, the influence of the extraction solvent system on various bioactivities of <i>C. spicatum</i> is reported herein for the first time. Overall, the results presented in this study promote the use of <i>C. spicatum</i> as a source of natural products with potential antioxidant, wound healing, and antimicrobial applications that are potentially safe for human use.