"Bioactive potential of the Ethyl Acetate Extract from Prosopis laevigata: Antimicrobial and Anti-inflammatory effects"

Introduction
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when treatment of infections caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, or parasites becomes ineffective, allowing the microorganism to persist in the host, leading to the spread of disease, its progression, or even death. This phenomenon represents a threat to the global health progress. Considering the increasing demand for alternative therapies with fewer side effects, this study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity of the ethyl acetate extract of Prosopis laevigata.

Results and Discussion
The chromatographic analysis of the ethyl acetate extract from Prosopis laevigata was carried out by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) at a detection wavelength of 330nm. A significant retention time was observed at 13.917 min (λmax = 199.0, 253.3 and 349.4nm), suggesting this compound corresponds to luteolin. Fraction R9 showed antimicrobial activity against 11 strains, including Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, S. dublin and Candida albicans. In the TPA-induced inflammation model, R9 reduced edema to 2.675 mg, R4 to 2.850 mg, and R7 to 3.450 mg. The positive control (indomethacin) showed significant inhibition with 1.380 mg. These values correspond to inhibition rates of 75.74%, 74.15%, and 68.71%. Statistical analysis showed anti-inflammatory effects comparable to indomethacin. The results were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Dunnett’s post hoc test (p ≤ 0.05).

Experimental Section
The antimicrobial activity was determined by minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) against 14 strains. Anti-inflammatory activity was tested using a TPA-induced ear edema model in ICR mice. HPLC-PDA was used to analyze the extract’s chemical profile.