Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of two endemic plants from Aksaray in Turkey

Abstract

This study was designed to examine the in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the methanol, ethanol, water, n-hexane and dicholoromethane extracts of two Allium species (Allium scabriflorum and Allium tchihatschewii) which are endemic for the flora of Turkey. The antimicrobial efficiency of the plant was evaluated according to disc diffusion and microdilution broth methods. The antimicrobial test results showed that the extracts of A. scabriflorum and A. tchihatschewii showed varying degrees of antimicrobial activity on the tested microorganisms. The extracts were screened for their possible antioxidant activities by three complementary tests; DPPH free radical-scavenging, scavenging of hydrogen peroxide and metal chelating activity assays. All the extracts of A. scabriflorum and A. tchihatschewii exhibited lower DPPH free radical scavenging activity but higher metal chelating activity when compared to standards. The values of scavenging of hydrogen peroxide of the extracts were higher than the standards that of α-tocopherol, BHA, BHT and trolox, but close to that of ascorbic acid. In addition to the antioxidant activity of these plants, the total phenolic compounds and flavonoids were also measured in the extracts. The results presented here may suggest that the extracts of A. scabriflorum and A. tchihatschewii possess antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, and therefore, they can be used as a natural preservative ingredient in food and/or pharmaceutical industry.Key words: Allium scabriflorum, Allium tchihatschewii, antimicrobial activity, antioxidant activity, phenolic IntroductionThe spoilage and poisoning of foods by microorganisms are problems that have not yet been brought under adequate control despite the range of robust preservation techniques available. Raw and/or processed foods are open to contamination during the production, sale and distribution of them (Deak and Beuchat, 1996). Thus, at present, it is a necessity to use the chemical preservatives to prevent the growth of food spoiling microbes in the food industry (Sağdıç and Özcan, 2003). Consumers are increasingly avoiding foods prepared with preservatives of chemical origin, and natural alternatives are therefore needed to achieve sufficiently long shelf life of foods and a high degree of safety with respect to foodborne pathogenic microorganisms (Rauha et al., 2000).Synthetic antioxidants and antimicrobials in use have been shown to have harmful side effects (Gao et al., 1999;Williams et al., 1999;Osawa and Namiki, 1981), therefore, there is a need for more effective, less toxic and cost effective antioxidants and antimicrobials from natural sources. Recently, there are a lot of reports on the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of plant-based extract, which has a potential application both in the food and in medicinal industries (Zeng et al., 2011).Since ancient times, several species of the genus Allium have been used as foods, spices or herbal remedies. The genus Allium L. is a member of the family Liliaceae a...

Green Synthesis of Copper Nanoparticles Using Momordica charantia Fruit Extracts and Evaluation of Their Anti-Microbial Efficacy

“…The consistent observed resistance of A. flavus in both methods used in this study to evaluate the anti-microbial activity of M. charantia and its derivative nanoparticles might be attributable to the presence of more active enzymes in these microbes which deactivate the active antimicrobial components due to low affinity of the active component(s) on the target molecules. In line to our findings, other previous studies have demonstrated both invitro and in-vivo antibacterial activities against E. coli, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, Salmonella, Streptobacillus and Streptococcus by the plant extracts of bitter gourd (Ozusaglam and Karakoca, 2013 (Shobha et al, 2014).…”

Phytochemical profile and biological activities of Momordica charantia L. (Cucurbitaceae): A review

“…The extracts at concentration of 100 mg/ml were efficient to inhibit the growth of all bacteria, with different degrees of susceptibility (Mada et al, 2013). Other studies confirm that this medicinal plant has good antimicrobial activities (Ozusaglam and Karakoca, 2013;Shoba et al, 2014;Birla, 2016;Saengsai et al, 2015).…”

Three Selected Edible Crops of the Genus Momordica as Potential Sources of Phytochemicals: Biochemical, Nutritional, and Medicinal Values

“…M. balsamina roots are used as ingredient in an aphrodisiac preparation and in treatment of urethral discharge on both human and animals. It is advisable to use the whole M. balsamina parts of the plant for used in treating skin disease such as scabies (Waako et al, 2005;Ozusaglam and Karakoca, 2013;Pauliuc and Botau, 2013;Wikaningtyas and Sukandar, 2016). In South Africa, mostly the Pedi people use M. balsamina leaves and tendrils as potherb and anti-emetic, while the Venda people used the leaves infusions as anti-emetic and Congo as colic.…”

“…Generally, extracts from Momordica spp. are useful for the treatment of various diseases and many other ailments due to the several biological activities exerted such as anti-diabetic Tan et al (2008), Madala et al (2014), Jia et al (2017), Islam and Jalaluddin (2019), Perera et al (2021), Venugopal and Dhanasekaran (2021), anti-oxidant Acquaviva et al (2013), Ozusaglam and Karakoca (2013), Huang et al (2020), Perumal et al (2021), anti-microbial (Kumar et al (2009), Patel et al (2010), Gupta et al (2011), antibacterial (Koneri et al (2006), Orhan et al (2010), Leelaprakash et al (2011), Puškárová et al (2017, Chen et al (2019), Islam and Jalaluddin (2019), Khadijeh et al (2019), anti-viral Orhan et al (2010, Santhosh , anti-fungal Santos et al (2012), anthelmintic Beloin et al (2005), Jia et al (2017), insecticidal Pari et al (2020), antiglycation Chen et al (2011), anti-inflammatory Chen et al (2019, Khadijeh et al (2019), Perera et al (2021), Venugopal and Dhanasekaran (2021), antithrombotic Patil and Rathod (2020), anti-allergic Asna et al (2020), hepatoprotective Ramalhete et al (2011), estrogenic Badhwar et al (2020, hypolipidemic effect Aeri and Raj (2020), anti-carcinogenic Kesari et al (2020)...…”