Phytochemical Analysis and Evaluation of the Antibiotic and Anti-inflammatory Activities of the Ethanolic Extract of the Dried Fruit of Tetrepleura tetraptera in Wistar Rats Infected with a Clinical Strain of Staphylococcus aureus

The use of medicinal plants with antibiotic and immuno-modulating properties could constitute an alternative in the fight against antibiotic resistance. Tetrapleura tetraptera is a plant of the Fabaceae family whose fruits are used in food, cosmetics and therapy. The objective of this work was to evaluate the antibiotic properties of the ethanolic extract of the dried fruits of Tetrapleura tetraptera after an infection with a clinical strain of Staphylococcus aureus. Phytochemical screening of T. tetraptera fruits was carried out by precipitation and staining reactions. The determination of total phenols was done by the colorimetric method of Folin-Ciocalteu; the determination of flavonoids by the aluminum trichloride method. Antibiotic activity was assessed by numeration of blood cells involved in the natural and specific immune response (leukocytes, neutrophils and lymphocytes). Anti-inflammatory activity was demonstrated by the presence or absence of C-reactive protein in the blood of infected rats. The results obtained were compared with those obtained in rats infected with Staphylococcus aureus and treated with Bactrim (Sulfamethoxazole+Trimethoprim) 40 mg/kg. Our results showed that the fruits of T. tetraptera contained several secondary metabolites and were rich in flavonoids and total phenols. The ethanolic extract of the fruits of T tetraptera had an antibiotic activity which allowed to eliminate the infection by Staphylococcus aureus germs after 21 days and the inflammation induced by the infection after 7 days.