Phytochemical Profiling and In Vitro Antibacterial and Antileishmanial Activities of Flourensia cernua, Artemisia ludoviciana, and Phoradendron californicum Extracts Obtained by Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction

Abstract

Medicinal plants are a valuable source of bioactive compounds with a broad range of therapeutic properties. In Mexico, the bioactive potential of Flourensia cernua, Artemisia ludoviciana, and Phoradendron californicum continues to be investigated; however, conventional extraction approaches often result in low yields of bioactive compounds. The aim of this study was to optimize the extraction process using the Taguchi methodology coupled with ultrasound-assisted extraction. An L9 (33) orthogonal array was employed to evaluate extraction time, ethanol concentration, and solid-to-liquid ratio, using total phenolic content as the response variable. Under the optimal conditions predicted by the software, condensed tannins, total flavonoids, and antioxidant, antiparasitic, and antibacterial activities were subsequently determined. The compounds present in the extracts were tentatively identified by HPLC–MS. P. californicum exhibited the highest levels of total phenolic content and total flavonoids, with 106.07 ± 4.16 GAE mg∙g−1 and 9.04 ± 0.31 CE mg∙g−1, respectively. F. cernua showed the highest content of condensed tannins, reaching 6.71 ± 0.10 CE mg∙g−1. ABTS radical-scavenging activity was highest for A. ludoviciana (IC50 = 19.37 ± 4.23 μg∙mL−1), whereas F. cernua exhibited the highest DPPH radical-scavenging activity (IC50 = 755.92 ± 70.60 μg∙mL−1). Furthermore, A. ludoviciana showed the highest antiparasitic activity (IC50 = 0.51 ± 0.20 mg∙mL−1) and antibacterial activity against the pathogenic bacteria Escherichia coli (89.59%) and Staphylococcus aureus (91.55%). These findings support the potential of UAE-optimized extracts as sources of bioactive ingredients for industrial applications.