Ethnomedicine: extraction of acacia auriculiformis leaves and phenolic compounds screening for pharmacological uses

• Main Authors: Ramya, Razanah, Othman, Rashidi, Mohd Hatta, Farah Ayuni, Wan Sulaiman, Wan Syibrah Hanisah, Mohd Latiff, Nur Hanie
• Format: Proceeding Paper
• Language: English; English
• Published: Fakultas Perikanan dan Kelautan, Universitas Riau 2024
• Subjects: GE Environmental Sciences; GR Folklore; RS Pharmacy and materia medica; S Agriculture (General); SD Forestry; TP248.13 Biotechnology
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/114463/1/ABSTRACT3.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/114463/13/114463_Ethnomedicine%20extraction%20of%20acacia%20auriculiformis%20leaves.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/114463/

Acacia auriculiformis, sometimes known as akasia kuning by the Malay, is a globally widespread tree with a diverse variety of therapeutic properties. Traditionally, it has been used to address a range of medicinal issues, including the use of the root to alleviate aches, pains, and sore eyes and the use of the bark to cure rheumatism. The phytochemicals found in different portions of plants have significant potential to function as medicinal remedies for various ailments and exhibit pharmacological effects. However, there is a lack of studies reported on A. auriculiformis leaf. This research aims to examine the phenolic compounds and determine the antibacterial activity of the leaf extract from A. auriculiformis. The leaf extract of A. auriculiformis was extracted with aqueous extraction before being re-extracted using different solvent polarities:petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, and butanol. Then, the extract was subjected to chromatographic analysis to determine its functional group using FT-IR and its phenolic content using HPLC. The antibacterial activity was assessed using the disc diffusion technique. The analysis revealed the existence of an aliphatic hydrocarbon at a wavelength of 2927.49 cm1 in A. auriculiformis. The leaf extract had a total phenolic content of 409.18 μg GAE/g DW, and four phenolic acids were identified: 4- Hydroxybenzoic acid, Caffeic acid, trans-p-Coumaric acid, and Vanillic acid. The A. auriculiformis leaf extract exhibited high antibacterial activity, as evidenced by the presence of inhibition zones measuring between 3 and 10 mm for all investigated bacterial pathogens (S. aureus, S. epidermidis, E. coli, MRSA, and P. aeruginosa). Overall, the leaves of A. auriculiformis demonstrate promise as a possible source of phenolic compounds and exhibit significant antibacterial activity, indicating their potential use in producing these compounds.