Bioguided Purification of Active Compounds from Leaves of Anadenanthera colubrina var. cebil (Griseb.) Altschul

var cebil (Griseb.) Altschul is a medicinal plant found throughout the Brazilian semi-arid area. This work performed a bioguided purification of active substances present in ethyl acetate extract from leaves. The anti- and antioxidant actions were used as markers of bioactivity. The extract was subjected to flash chromatography resulting in five fractions (F1, F2, F3, F4, and F5). The fractions F2 and F4 presented the highest antimicrobial action, with a dose able to inhibit 50% of bacteria growth (IN50) of 19.53 μg/mL for UFPEDA 02; whereas F4 showed higher inhibitory action towards DPPH radical (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate) [dose able to inhibit 50% of the radical (IC50) = 133 ± 9 μg/mL]. F2 and F4 were then subjected to preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), resulting in the identification of -hydroxybenzoic acid and hyperoside as the major compounds in F2 and F4, respectively. Hyperoside and -hydroxybenzoic acid presented IN50 values of 250 μg/mL and 500 μg/mL against UFPEDA 02, respectively. However, the hyperoside had an IN50 of 62.5 μg/mL against UFPEDA 705, a clinical isolate with multidrug resistant phenotype. Among the purified compounds, the proanthocyanidins obtained from F2 exhibited the higher antioxidant potentials. Taken together, these results highlight the potential of leaves as an alternative source of biomolecules of interest for the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries.