A comparative study of the secondary metabolites contributing to the antimicrobial properties of plants belonging to Fabaceae and Lamiaceae families that are found in the Philippines

• Main Authors: Paloma, Jenny Anne Clanor, Ramos, Raniel Angelo Guinto, Carilla, Bryll Jay Cerdan
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2023
• Subjects: Legumes > Philippines; Lamiaceae > Philippines; Biology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdb_bio/32; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etdb_bio/article/1034/viewcontent/2023_Paloma_Ramos_Carilla_A_comparative_study_of_the_secondary_metabolites_Full_text.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

Fabaceae and Lamiaceae are two medically important plant families found in several countries like the Philippines. Plant species belonging to both families have been cited in various studies because of their significant antimicrobial properties. In order to explore more viable sources of antimicrobial agents, a comparative study between Fabaceae and Lamiaceae plants that are found in the Philippines was performed using data from local and foreign journal articles, published from 1990 to 2022, that presented work related to their antimicrobial properties. A narrative synthesis approach is used to present the major findings in this research. Following a set inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 121 journal articles were selected, which involved 33 Fabaceae and 25 Lamiaceae species of plants. The study revealed that for both plant families, maceration, using ethanol as solvent, was the most utilized extraction procedure in ethnobotanical applications, yielding 10 of the 11 secondary metabolites presented here. In terms of plant parts, extracts from Fabaceae seeds as well as Lamiaceae leaves and stems were found to be bioactive against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. With regards to the phytoconstituents, common secondary metabolites were predominantly present in both families and these include flavonoids, terpenoids, and tannins which are mostly reported here. Exploring possible synergistic effects between the secondary metabolites, Pearson correlation using the major phytoconstituents of Fabaceae plants yielded no strong significant relationship, but tannins and alkaloids were found to have a weak correlation and may be considered as a promising pair to study synergism. On the other hand, the correlation analysis done on the flavonoid and terpenoid pair for Lamiaceae plants demonstrated a strong significant relationship (p=1.810✕10-4 , R=0.80 at ɑ=0.05) which may suggest a possible synergistic effect. Regarding the microorganisms inhibited by the extracts from some Lamiaceae and Fabaceae plants, S. aureus, B. subtilis, E. coli, and P. aeruginosa were found to be targeted by most plant species from both families, with Vitex negundo targeting the most microorganisms. Lastly, the geographical distribution map indicated that Fabaceae plants outnumbered Lamiaceae in both Luzon and Visayas while the opposite is true in Mindanao. This work is significant as it can provide useful information on additional antimicrobial plants from Fabaceae and Lamiaceae families found in the Philippines that can be explored, studied, and commercialized in the future.