In vitro assay and GC-MS profiling of Proteus sp.EKWG2I3 isolate obtained from Echinops kebericho M.: a traditional medicinal plant

Abstract Endophytic bacteria are a promising source of bioactive compounds valuable to medicine, agriculture, and industrial applications. This study investigates bioactive compounds of EKWG2I3 to evaluate their in vitro antibacterial and antioxidant activity against test strains. A healthy root of Echinops kebericho M. medicinal plant was collected for experimental analysis. 16 S rRNA gene sequencing was performed for accurate identification of a single potential isolate. In vitro antibacterial, antioxidant activities, and Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) profiling of crude extracts for EKWG2I3 isolate were performed. The potent isolate ( EKWG2I3) obtained from E. kebericho M. clustered with P. mirabilis ATCC 29,906 T (ACLE01000013) and designated as Proteus sp. EKWG2I3 (PV635194). The results revealed that the crude extract of the Proteus sp.EKWG2I3 showed notable antibacterial activity of (15 ± 0.0529 mm) against E. coli ATCC-25,922 T . This isolate also exhibited potent free radical scavenging potential with an inhibitory concentration at 50% (IC 50 ) with value of 45.46 µg/mL compared to ascorbic acid. Moreover, GC-MS analysis identified methyl phenylacetate (38.49%) and pentanoic acid, methyl ester (12.71%) as major compounds in the extract of Proteus sp.EKWG2I3. This study suggests that Proteus sp.EKWG2I3 (PV635194) associated E. kebericho M.M. could be a potential source of bioactive compounds to combat emerging diseases caused by drug-resistant pathogens.