Phytochemical Screening, Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of Aloe buettneri, Mitracarpus scaber and Hannoa undulata used in Togolese Cosmetopoeia

Background: Aloe buettneri, Mitracarpus scaber and Hannoa undulata are three plants species used in the Togolese traditional medicine to cure dermatosis. This study aims at assessing their anti-oxidant and anti-microbial activities on acne-developing micro-organisms. Methods: Six micro-organisms including Cutibacterium acnes ATCC 6919, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853; Escherichia coli ATCC 25922; Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 700603; Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213; and Candida albicans ATCC 35659 were used. Inhibition diameter was assessed using the agar well diffusion method. Minimum inhibitory and minimum microbicidal concentrations have been achieved through the liquid dilution method. Anti-oxidant activities were evaluated by DPPH antiradical scaving and FRAP methods. Phytochemical screening was also realized. Results: All the microorganism’s strains tested, excepted Candida albicans and Escherichia coli, were susceptible to plants extracts at 250 mg/mL in the agar well diffusion assay with inhibition diameters ranging from 12.10 ± 0.07 to 18.20 ± 0.10 mm. The MICs values were comprised between 15.625 mg/mL and 62.5 mg/mL, when MMCs ranged from 31.25 to 125 mg/mL. At the concentration of 500 µg/mL, the scavenging properties on DPPH radicals were 49.20 ± 0.15% for H. undulata, 41.29 ± 0.51% for A. buettneri, 59.57 ± 0.41% for M. scaber and 87.22 ± 0.03% for Quercetin. For FRAP assay, the effective concentration (EC50) of A. buettneri, M. scaber and H. undulata extracts were 977.44 ± 1.13 µg/mL; 267.74 ± 10.13 µg/mL and, 272.54 ± 12.87 µg/mL respectively while quercetin presented the EC50 of 48.63 ± 2.00 µg/mL. The antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of these species might be required to the presence of polyphenols, tannins, flavonoids, triterpenes, saponoside and alkaloids identified by phytochemical screening. Conclusion: The three plants extracts are all potential natural antimicrobial and antioxidant candidates for treating acne vulgaris. Keywords: Aloe buettneri, Mitracarpus scaber, Hannoa undulata, antimicrobial activity, antioxidant activity, phytochemical screening, Acne vulgari