In Vitro Antioxidant and Anti-Propionibacterium acnes Activities of Cold Water, Hot Water, and Methanol Extracts, and Their Respective Ethyl Acetate Fractions, from Sanguisorba officinalis L. Roots

Identification of medicinal plants and naturally derived compounds as new natural antioxidant and antibacterial sources for topical acne treatment has long been important. To determine anti-Propionibacterium acnes activity and in vitro antioxidant activities, Sanguisorba officinalis L. root (SOR) was extracted with cold water (CWE), hot water (HWE), and methanol (ME), and each extract was fractionated successively with hexane, ethyl acetate (EA), and butanol to determine whether the activities could be attributed to the total phenolic, flavonoid, terpenoid, and condensed tannin contents. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were analyzed between the respective variables. The SOR CWE, HWE, ME, and their respective EA fractions showed anti-P. acnes activity based on the paper disc diffusion method on agar plates, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC). The MIC against P. acnes had a moderate (+) correlation with the total phenolic content, but not with the other measures. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging capacity (SC) had a strong (–) correlation with the total phenolic content and a moderate (–) correlation with the total flavonoid content. The total antioxidant capacity had a strong (+) correlation with the condensed tannin content. Linoleic acid peroxidation inhibition had a strong (–) correlation with the total phenolic content. To elucidate the major active phytochemicals in the CWE-EA, HWE-EA, and ME-EA fractions, high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (HPLC-UV) and ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with hybrid triple quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS) were performed. The HPLC-UV analysis showed the presence of nine compounds in common (arjunic acid and/or euscaphic acid, gallic acid, kaempferol, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, tannic acid, and coumarin, quercetin). The UHPLC-QTOF-MS analysis showed the presence of nine compounds in common (gallic acid; caffeic acid; umbelliferone; arjunic acid, euscaphic acid, and/or tormentic acid; pomolic acid; rosamultic acid; and benzoic acid). When standards of the identified phytochemicals were tested against the same bacterium, quercetin, coumarin, and euscaphic acid showed antibacterial activity against P. acnes.