Author(s): Mandim, Filipa ; Barros, Lillian ; Heleno, Sandrina A. ; Pires, Tânia C.S.P. ; Dias, Maria Inês ; Alves, Maria José ; Santos, Paulo F. ; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.
Date: 2019
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10198/19983
Origin: Biblioteca Digital do IPB
The phenolic profile and the antibacterial activity against pathogenic commensal vaginal bacteria exhibited by different fractions of the acetone extract of heather was assessed. The acetone extract of Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull was fractionated by silica gel column chromatography through an eluent system of increasing polarity, obtaining 10 different fractions (Fr 1 to Fr 10). The phenolic profile was analyzed by HPLCDAD- ESI/MS. Type B (epi)catechin dimers, (-)-epicatechin and (+)-catechin were the main phenolic compounds present in the fractions. The antibacterial activity was also analyzed against pathogenic bacteria and the effect in the beneficial microflora was also accessed. Some of the obtained fractions revealed the capacity to inhibit pathogenic microorganisms without affecting the beneficial microflora, especially Fr 7 and Fr 8. For instance, Neisseria gonorrhoeae was inhibited by both of the fractions, while Fr 7 was more active against Klebsiella pneumoniae and Morganella morganii, and Fr 8 against methicillin resistance Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), without affecting Lactobacillus strains. This study corroborates the therapeutic use of this matrix in traditional medicine.
