Phytochemical Characterization and In Vitro Anti-Inflammatory, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity of Fresen Leaves Extracts from Benin.

Leaves from Fresen (Combretaceae) are commonly used for the treatment of inflammatory conditions, wound healing and bacterial infections in traditional West African medicine. This research focuses on the characterization of the phenolic profile and lipophilic compounds of leaves extracts of . Studies of the in vitro anti-inflammatory activity were performed in TNFα stimulated HaCaT cells and antibacterial activity was evaluated with agar well diffusion and microdilution assays. Antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH and ABTS assays and compared to standards. The phytochemical studies confirmed myricetin-3--rhamnoside and myricetin-3--glucoside as major components of the leaves extracts, each contributing significantly to the antioxidant activity of the hydrophilic extracts. GC-MS analysis identified 19 substances that were confirmed by comparison with spectral library data and authentic standards. aqueous leaves extract decreased pro-inflammatory mediators in TNFα stimulated HaCaT cells. Further investigations showed that myricetin-3--rhamnoside has an anti-inflammatory effect on IL-8 secretion. In the antimicrobial screening, the largest inhibition zones were found against , and . MIC values resulted in 275.0 µg/mL for and 385.5 µg/mL for . The in vitro anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antioxidant activity supports topical use of leaves extracts in traditional West African medicine.