Chemical composition and antibacterial activities of the ethanol extracts from the leaves and tubers of Amorphophallus pusillus

Abstract

Amorphophallus pusillus is a rare species which is found only in Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu Nature Reserve. In this study, we determined 7 flavonoid compounds in A. pusillus tubers and leaves, including of vitexin, orientin, vitexin 2″-O-glucoside, cyanidin 3-O-rutinoside, pelargonidin 3-O-glucoside, schaftoside, and peonidin 3-O-rutinoside via liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS). Furthermore, we have proved the antibacterial activities of ethanol extracts obtained from A. pusillus leaves and tubers for the first time. The data revealed that ethanol extracts could inhibit the growth of 6 tested microorganisms, such as Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enteritidis, Salmonella typhimurium and Staphylococcus aureus. These data suggested the potential application of ethanol extracts isolated from this species as natural antimicrobial agents for treatment of infection caused by bacteria, especially in dermatologic and enteric infection.