Anticholinergic, Antioxidant, and Antibacterial Properties of Vitex Agnus-Castus L. Seed Extract: Assessment of Its Phenolic Content by LC/MS/MS.

In this current study, Vitex agnus-castus seed ethanol extracts were analyzed for their phytochemical component content, anticholinergic and antioxidant activities, and antibacterial properties. The phenolic compound composition of these seeds was determined by using LC/MS/MS. Antioxidant activity of the seeds was examined by the DPPH, ABTS, Fe3+ -Fe2+ reducing, and CUPRAC. Also, the anticholinergic activity was measured by the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). The antibacterial activity was performed by disc diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration methods. The main phenolic compound was vanillic acid (22812.05 µg/L) and followed by luteolin, fumaric acid, quercetin, caffeic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, salicylic acid, kaempferol, butein, ellagic acid, resveratrol, catechin hydrate, phloridzin dehydrate, naringenin, respectively. The DPPH free radical scavenging value of ethanol extract of plant seeds was 9.41 %, while the ABTS radical scavenging activity was determined as 12.66 %. The ethanol extract of the seeds exhibited antibacterial activity on Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella Typhimurium, differently. S. aureus was found to be more susceptible to the extract than other bacteria. Also, the inhibition effect of seed ethanolic extract on the AChE with IC50 values were 36.34±5.6 µg/mL. From the results, V. agnus-castus seed can be suggested as a promising natural antioxidant and antibacterial candidate for the preservation of foods.

Antioxidant, Antimicrobial Activity and Total Phenolic Content within the Aerial Parts of Artemisia absinthum, Artemisia santonicum and Saponaria officinalis.

Three native Turkish medicinal and aromatic plants (Artemisia absinthum, Artemisia santonicum and Saponaria officinalis) were investigated to analyze their antioxidant activity, total phenolic content and antimicrobial activity. Their total antioxidant activity was determined by using a ß-carotene bleaching assay and their antimicrobial activity was determined by utilizing an agar disc diffusion assay. Methanol extracts of the three species analyzed showed high antioxidant activity and among them Artemisia absinthum possessed the highest quantity (71.78%). The total phenolic content (Folin-Ciocalteu assay) was shown to be between 6.57 µgGAE/mg dry weight basis (Saponaria officinalis) and 8.86 µgGAE/mg dry weight basis (Artemisia absinthum). There was a positive correlation (R = 0.819) between the total phenolic content and the antioxidant activity measured in the plant samples. The aqueous and methanol extracts of the aerial parts of the species showed antibacterial activities against a number of microorganisms. The methanol extracts were found to inhibit the growth of microorganisms more than the aqueous extracts. These findings suggest that the methanol extracts of the plants tested contain compounds with antimicrobial properties. These exhibited properties propose that such plant extracts can possibly be used as natural preservatives in the food and pharmaceutical industries.