Antibacterial Activity and Untargeted Metabolomics Profiling of Poepp.

The search for potent antimicrobial compounds is critical in the face of growing antibiotic resistance. This study explores Poepp. (), a Caribbean plant traditionally used for disease treatment. The dried plant powder was subjected to successive extractions using different solvents: hexane (F1), dichloromethane (F2), methanol (F3), a 50:50 mixture of methanol and water (F4), and water (F5). Additionally, a parallel extraction was conducted using a 50:50 mixture of methanol and chloroform (F6). All the fractions were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity, and the F6 fraction was characterized using untargeted metabolomics using SPME-GC×GC-TOFMS. The extracts of F3, F4, and F5 showed antibacterial activity against ATCC 25923 (5 mg/mL), MRSA BA22038 (5 mg/mL), and ATCC 27853 (10 mg/mL), and fraction F6 showed antibacterial activity against ATCC 29213 (2 mg/mL), ATCC 25922 (20 mg/mL), ATCC 27853 (10 mg/mL), ATCC 29212 (10 mg/mL), 024 (2 mg/mL), and 003 (2 mg/mL). Metabolomic analysis of F6 revealed 2861 peaks with 58 identified compounds through SPME and 3654 peaks with 29 identified compounds through derivatization. The compounds included methyl ester fatty acids, ethyl ester fatty acids, terpenes, ketones, sugars, amino acids, and fatty acids. This study represents the first exploration of metabolomics and its antimicrobial potential, providing valuable insights for plant classification, phytochemical research, and drug discovery.