Antimicrobial and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Some Lathyrus L. (Fabaceae) Species Growing in Turkey

Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities of methanol extracts and n-hexane, ethyl acetate, chloroform, and water fractions of five Lathyrus species, namely Lathyrus armenus, Lathyrus aureus, Lathyrus cilicicus, Lathyrus laxiflorus subsp. laxiflorus, and Lathyrus pratensis, growing in Turkey.

Materials and methods: The antimicrobial activities were screened against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, and Candida albicans ATCC 10231. Broth dilution was used to determine the antimicrobial activities of extracts and fractions. In vitro anti-inflammatory activity of these extracts and fractions was determined using human red blood cell membrane stabilization.

Results: The results demonstrated that ethyl acetate fractions of the tested species exhibited higher antimicrobial activity than the other extracts. Among all of the tested extracts and fractions, the highest anti-inflammatory activity was detected in water fractions. Furthermore, water fractions of L. pratensis showed better anti-inflammatory activity than acetylsalicylic acid and diclofenac sodium, which were used as standard drugs in this assay.

Conclusion: The results indicate the membrane stabilizing effect of the various extracts and fractions of the Lathyrus species and could constitute preliminary work for in vivo anti-inflammatory activity experiments.

Keywords: Anti-inflammatory activity; Lathyrus; antimicrobial activity; human red blood cell membrane.