Antimicrobial, Cyto and Genotoxic Activities of Equisetum hyemale

The popular use of natural products has great benefits for the health of the human population. In this study we highlight Equisetum hyemale, belonging to the phylum Sphenophyta and the family Equisetaceae. Popularly, the stems of this plant are used for their diuretic, digestive, anti-anemic, and anti-inflammatory properties. Given this context, and the fact that the growth of antimicrobial resistance is a serious problem for global public health, this plant could be used as an alternative, to increase our therapeutic arsenal. Therefore, it is important to more clearly elucidate the complex structures present in plants, because these substances are mainly responsible for their beneficial and/or toxic effects. Thus, the objective of this study was evaluate the antimicrobial activity, cytotoxic and genotoxic potential of the phenolic compounds separately. The substances luteolin, ferulic acid and coumarin were identified at high concentrations by ultra-high performance chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS). Antimicrobial activity was elucidated through microdilution in broth; the phenolic compounds were able to inhibit the visible growth of the standard bacterial strains at low concentrations. Cytotoxicity was evaluated by MTT and genotoxicity was analysed through cellular damage using a Comet assay; the results showed that it did not present cytoxicity or genotoxicity at the corresponding concentrations. With this, we suggest that E. hyemale may be an alternative for the treatment of infections by microorganisms that are resistant to synthetic drugs.