A Comprehensive Analysis of Phytochemical Composition and Antimicrobial Potency of Four Plant Species Indigenous to The Southern Coastal Region of Jeddah Governorate, Saudi Arabia

The study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial properties and phytochemical composition of root and leaf extracts from four halophytic species in Jeddah governorate, KSA. Various solvents were utilized for extraction, and the impacts of these extracts on four bacterial strains (MSSA, MRSA, P. aeruginosa, and E. coli) and three fungal strains (F. solani, P. duclauxii, and C. albicans) were examined. Results demonstrated varying effectiveness among different extracts and strains. Methanol extracts from root and leaf powders exhibited specific efficacy against limited bacterial and fungal strains. Notably, ethyl acetate extracts from roots displayed potent antibacterial effects against all strains tested. Conversely, hexane and chloroform extracts showed limited or no activity against most strains. The extracts exhibited robust antimicrobial activity against the tested strains at relatively low concentrations (0.60 to 2.00 mg/mL) notably inhibiting P. aeruginosa and F. solani GC-MS analysis showed key components in the studied plants, with C. conglomeratus showing distinct compounds like eleuthoside C and 1-eicosanol, while C. axillare featured docosane and camelliol C in the root and phytol and bicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-2-one,5-methyl-5-nitro-,endo in the leaf. Additionally, ethyl acetate extracts exhibited diverse compounds such as vallesamine and nonacosane in S. spinescence and fucoxanthin and 3,4-dihydrothienyl(3,4,b)-5-carboxythiophene in T. nilotica. The varying compositions of root and leaf extracts from each plant species highlighted the prevalence of hydrocarbons and terpenoids. These results suggest the potential of ethyl acetate extracts from these plants as valuable sources of antimicrobial agents, prompting further exploration of their components and potential therapeutic implications.