Abstract

Kielmeyera coriaceae Mart. and Zucc. belongs to Clusiaceae family and is largely distributed in the cerrado Brazilian biome. In this study, phytochemical screening, the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of aerial parts of the K. coriacea were evaluated. The extracts showed the presence of terpenoids, saponins, triterpenes, steroids, flavonoids, tannins and phenolic compounds. Ethanolic extract and partitions of plant parts of K. coriacea showed a very strong antioxidant activity, in particular, the inner bark of the plant. The ethanolic extract and the cyclohexane fraction of the inner bark showed high antimicrobial activity against oral pathogens with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) between 3.1 and 100 μg ml⁻¹. The cyclohexane fraction was the most active with CIMs of 6.2 μg ml⁻¹ for most of the tested bacteria, including Streptococcus mutans, the main etiological agent of dental caries. The ethanolic extract exhibited the highest antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mitis, with MIC value ​​of 3.1 μg ml⁻¹, a value lower than that found by the positive control. The antioxidant and antimicrobial activities could be due to the different phytochemical classes presented in the ethanolic extract and partitions studied. The antioxidant activity and the antimicrobial activity showed by the ethanolic extract and cyclohexene fraction of the inner bark were considered promising.

Key words: Kielmeyera coriacea, Clusiaceae, extracts phytochemical, antioxidant, antimicrobial activities