Isolation and antimicrobial activity of secondary metabolites of <i>pothos tener</i> wall

The <i>Pothos</i> genus is extensively utilised in traditional medicine in China and India. An underexplored species of <i>Pothos tener</i> Wall was identified in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Antimicrobial activity was assessed using microdilutions and streak plates against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>, <i>Eschericia coli, Aeromonas hydrophila</i>, <i>Aspergillus niger</i>, and <i>Candida albicans</i>. Significant effectiveness was observed in the methanol extract, as indicated by the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) values for three different extracts (methanol, ethyl acetate, and <i>n</i>-hexane) of <i>P. tener</i>. The isolates obtained were structurally analysed using Ultraviolet (UV)-spectroscopy, Fourier-transform Infra Red-Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Mass Spectroscopy (MS), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), and antimicrobial testing after undergoing fractionation and subfractionation. The isolate obtained was stigmasterol with moderate antimicrobial activity against <i>A. niger</i> and <i>A. hydrophila</i>, with MIC equivalent to MBC of 500 µg/ml. The first report of stigmasterol from <i>P. tener</i> has potent antimicrobial properties, bolstering empirical data in this field.