A comparative study on phenolic profiles and biologicial activity of Artemisia campestris L. From Algeria as affected by extraction solvents

Abstract

The genus Artemisia includes the biggest genus of Asteraceae has many healthful uses in human diseases. The present study was conducted to eva-luate in vitro antioxidant and antibacterial activities of field wormwood, Artemisia campestris L. growing wild in the easthern of Algeria. The aerial parts of the plant were dried at shade and extracted with acetone, ethyl acetate, methanol and water. Total phenolic, flavonoid, flavanol and flavone, tannin and anthocyanin contents of different extracts from the whole plant were determined. The obtained results indicated that the ethyl acetate extract possessed high phenolic, flavonoid, flavanol and flavone contents and exhibited good antioxidant activity by DPPH, FRAP, ß- carotene bleaching methods. However, acetone extract showed strong antiradical property against H2O2 and high tannin content. These findings provide evidence that the polyphenolic extract of A. campestris L. is a natural source of antioxidant against oxidative damage. A. campestris extracts were also tested in vitro for its antimicrobial potential against three strains of pathogenic bacteria, using the disk diffusion method. The extracts showed the best antibacterial effect for all microbial strains tested even those resistant to some antibiotics. Fractionation and characterization of A. campestris active components may enhance the pharmaceutical industry of new drugs against pathogenic bacteria.