Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Isolation and evaluation of the antibacterial constituents of Synsepalum brevipes

Fomene Tsapy Raphaelle¹, Ache Roland Ndifor^2,3 , Ngnintedo Dominique¹, Ambassa Pantaléon¹, Céline Henoumont⁴, Njinga Ngaitad Stanislaus⁵, Sophie Laurent^4,6, Fotso Wabo Ghislain¹, Ngameni Bathelemy⁷, Bonaventure Tchaleu Ngadjui^1,8

¹Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon; ²Higher Technical Teachers Training College, University of Bamenda, Cameroon; ³Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Bamenda, Cameroon; ⁴General, Organic and Biomedical Chemistry, NMR and Molecular Imaging Laboratory, University of Mons, Place du Parc 20, 7000 Mons, Belgium; ⁵Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, University of Ilorin, Nigeria; ⁶Center for Microscopy and Molecular Imaging (CMMI), Rue Adrienne Bolland 8, 6041 Gosseilies, Belgium; ⁷Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé, Cameroon; ⁸University Institute of Sciences, Technologies and Ethics Yaoundé, Cameroon.

For correspondence:- Ache Ndifor Email: rolyndifor@gmail.com Tel:+237-676 444 329

Received: 15 February 2025 Accepted: 20 May 2025 Published: 31 May 2025

Citation: Raphaelle FT, Ndifor AR, Dominique N, Pantaléon A, Henoumont C, Stanislaus NN, et al. Isolation and evaluation of the antibacterial constituents of Synsepalum brevipes. Trop J Pharm Res 2025; 24(5):711-717 doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/tjpr.v24i5.9

© 2025 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To isolate and evaluate the antibacterial constituents of Synsepalum brevipes.

Methods: The compounds were isolated using varying chromatographic separation methods. The structures were established using 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic methods, mass spectroscopy (MS), and by comparison with existing data. Extracts, fractions, and selected compounds were assessed against six bacterial strains using the broth microdilution method.

Results: Chemical constituents isolated were identified as taraxeryl acetate, taraxerol, ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, betulinic acid, lupeol, herannone, spinasterol, spinasterol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, eicosanoic acid, asperphernamate, hyperoside, spinasterone, arganin C, and butyroside B. The crude extracts and fractions were inactive against all the bacterial strains. The three compounds, which include oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, and hyperoside, exhibited moderate inhibitory activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranging from 12.5 to 50 μg/mL against the tested bacteria. Oleanolic acid revealed moderate bactericidal effects on Escherichia coli, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus (minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) = 100 μg/mL, while ursolic acid showed moderate bactericidal effects on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MBC = 50 μg/mL).

Conclusion: These results show that two triterpenoids and one phenolic exhibit moderate antibacterial effects against Escherichia coli, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus, and Staphylococcus aureus

Keywords: Synsepalum brevipes, Phytochemicals, Antibacterial activity, Sapotaceae