PHYTOCHEMICAL PROFILE, ANTIBACTERIAL SUSCEPTIBILITY AND ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY OF LEAVES FROM CROTON URUCURANA BAILLON (EUPHORBIACEAE)

Abstract

Croton urucurana Baillon, popularly known as “sangria d’água”, belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family. The species has a great importance in folk medicine as antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antiviral, antidiarrheal, intestinal antisecretory and cicatrizant remedies. The objective of this study was to verify the presence, in the aqueous, ethanolic and hydroalcoholic extracts, of secondary metabolites (alkaloids, anthraquinones, steroids/triterpenoids, flavonoids, glycosides, saponins and tannins), analyze the inhibition of bacteria Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Salmonella thyphimurium ATCC 14028 growth, and evaluate the antioxidant activity by the DPPH method. Considering the phytochemical profile, the best extract was the aqueous; the bacteria susceptibility was inhibited with the ethanolic extract; and the extract with the highest antioxidant activity was the hydroalcoholic, presenting IC50 1.3 μg/ mL. It was concluded that the extracts of Croton urucurana Baillon show interesting results and that further investigations must be carried out for the better elucidation of its benefits.