The Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity of Ethanolic Extract in Roots, Stems, and Leaves of Three Commercial Cymbopogon Species

Overview

Journal BMC Complement Med Ther

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Rehabilitation Medicine

Date 2024 Jul 18

PMID 39026301

Authors

Dwi Kusuma Wahyuni

Viol Dhea Kharisma

Ahmad Affan Ali Murtadlo

Cici Tya Rahmawati

Alvi Jauharotus Syukriya

Sehanat Prasongsuk

Sreeramanan Subramaniam

Anjar Tri Wibowo

Hery Purnobasuki

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Cymbopogon is a member of the family Poaceae and has been explored for its phytochemicals and bioactivities. Although the antimicrobial activities of Cymbopogon spp. extracts have been extensively studied, comprehensive analyses are required to identify promising compounds for the treatment of antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, this study investigated the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of Cymbopogon spp. ethanolic extracts in every single organ.

Methods: Ethanolic extracts were obtained from three Indonesian commercial species of Cymbopogon spp., namely Cymbopogon citratus (L.) Rendle, Cymbopogon nardus (DC.) Spatf., and Cymbopogon winterianus Jowitt. The leaf, stem, and root extracts were evaluated via metabolite profiling using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In silico and in vitro analyses were used to evaluate the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the Cymbopogon spp. ethanolic extracts. In addition, bioactivity was measured using cytotoxicity assays. Antioxidant assays were performed using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2-azino-bis [3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) to determine toxicity to Huh7it-1 cells using a tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Finally, the antimicrobial activity of these extracts was evaluated against Candida albicans, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli using a well diffusion assay.

Results: GC-MS analysis revealed 53 metabolites. Of these, 2,5-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)- phenol (27.87%), alpha-cadinol (26.76%), and 1,2-dimethoxy-4-(1-propenyl)-benzene (20.56%) were the predominant compounds. C. winterianus and C. nardus leaves exhibited the highest antioxidant activity against DPPH and ABTS, respectively. Contrastingly, the MTT assay showed low cytotoxicity. C. nardus leaf extract exhibited the highest antimicrobial activity against E. coli and S. aureus, whereas C. winterianus stem extract showed the highest activity against B. substilis. Furthermore, computational pathway analysis predicted that antimicrobial activity mechanisms were related to antioxidant activity.

Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that the leaves had strong antioxidant activity, whereas both the leaves and stems showed great antimicrobial activity. Furthermore, all Cymbopogon spp. ethanolic extracts showed low toxicity. These findings provide a foundation for future studies that assess the clinical safety of Cymbopogon spp. as novel drug candidates.

Citing Articles

Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Potential of Ethanol Extract on Cells.

Rohmawaty E, Wiraswati H, Zahra T, Amalina S, Ramadhanti J, Rosdianto A J Inflamm Res. 2025; 18:2125-2136.

PMID: 39963686 PMC: 11830573. DOI: 10.2147/JIR.S506189.

Correction: The antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of ethanolic extract in roots, stems, and leaves of three commercial Cymbopogon species.

Wahyuni D, Kharisma V, Murtadlo A, Rahmawati C, Syukriya A, Prasongsuk S BMC Complement Med Ther. 2024; 24(1):307.

PMID: 39143559 PMC: 11325572. DOI: 10.1186/s12906-024-04599-8.

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