Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Pteris vittata L. Extracts from Metalliferous Soils: Correlations with Phenolic Compounds

Objectives Pteris vittata L. is one of the hyperaccumulator plants that can grow in heavy metal-contaminated soil. This plant may tolerate metal stress through different mechanisms, eg, by producing a wide range of secondary metabolites. These compounds play an essential role in physiological function and can also serve as rich sources of chemicals for health benefit purposes. This study aims to determine the phytochemicals of plant extracts and the relationship between these profiles with pharmacological properties to predict active agents and their interaction. Methods The total phenolic and total flavonoid contents were measured by colorimetric assays, while the widely targeted metabolomics was applied to reveal leaf and root P. vittata metabolome. In parallel, the antioxidant and antibacterial effects of these extracts were determined by ABTS scavenging and micro-broth dilution methods. Multivariate analysis, ie, Partial Least Square Regression, calculated the correlation between metabolites and bioactivities. Results The results showed the significant content of phenolics and flavonoids in plants collected from mining soils of Thai Nguyen province, Vietnam, and their potential ABTS scavenging activity. Additionally, the plant's metabolome characterized 82 compounds, mainly secondary metabolites. The multivariate analysis indicated the positive correlation among quercetin derivatives and bioactivity, suggesting the contribution of their combination, not individually, to the antibacterial effect of P. vittata. Conclusion Hyperaccumulators in metalliferous soils are potential reservoirs for exploring the antibacterial agents against multi-drug resistant strains, and this effect may be exerted by additive or synergistic mechanisms of action of multiple compounds.