Phenolic compounds have been associated with species of the family Connaraceae, and increasingly, antibacterial and antioxidant properties are attributed to these plants. We have a history of research on species from this family, and in this study, we evaluate the chemical composition of Rourea fluminensis, Connarus nodosus, and Connarus ruber to identify bioactive compounds and assess antioxidant, antibacterial and toxicological properties. Our results indicated no toxicity to Artemia salina (LD50 > 1000 μg.mL-1), antioxidant potential against DPPH and ABTS radicals, and antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. LC-HRMS characterisation identified 13 compounds, notably myricetin and guaijaverin glycosides as well as chlorogenic acid, which likely contribute to the antioxidant (redox) and antibacterial activities observed in vitro. In summary, this is the first study to demonstrate the pharmacological potential of extracts from these plants and to advance the chemical characterisation of three Brazilian endemic species.
Turcatel et al. (Thu,) studied this question.