Phenolic Content, Antioxidant, Antibacterial, Antihyperglycemic, and α-Amylase Inhibitory Activities of Aqueous Extract of Salvia lavandulifolia Vahl.

Salvia lavandulifolia Vahl essential oil is becoming more popular as a cognitive enhancer and treatment for memory loss. It is high in natural antioxidants and has spasmolytic, antiseptic, analgesic, sedative, and anti-inflammatory properties. Its aqueous extract has hypoglycemic activity and is used to treat diabetic hyperglycemia, but few studies have focused on it. The objective of this work is to evaluate the various biological and pharmacological powers of Salvia lavandulifolia Vahl leaf aqueous extract. Quality control of the plant material was first carried out. Followed by a phytochemical study on the aqueous extract of S. lavandulifolia leaves, namely phytochemical screening and determination of total polyphenols, flavonoids, and condensed tannins contents. Then, the biological activities were undertaken, in particular the antioxidant activity (total antioxidant activity and trapping of the DPPH° radical) and the antimicrobial activity. The chemical composition of this extract was also determined by HPLC-MS-ESI. Finally, the inhibitory effect of the α-amylase enzyme as well as the antihyperglycaemic effect was evaluated in vivo in normal rats overloaded with starch or D-glucose. The aqueous extract obtained by use of the decoction of leaves of S. lavandulifolia contains 246.51 ± 1.69 mg EQ of gallic acid/g DE, 23.80 ± 0.12 mg EQ quercetin/g DE, and 2.46 ± 0.08 mg EQ catechin /g DE. Its total antioxidant capacity is around 527.03 ± 5.95 mg EQ of ascorbic acid/g DE. At a concentration of 5.81 ± 0.23 µg/mL, our extract was able to inhibit 50% of DPPH° radicals. Moreover, it showed bactericidal effect against Proteus mirabilis, fungicidal against Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans, Candida tropicalis, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and fungistatic against Candida krusei. A marked antihyperglycemic activity (AUC = 54.84 ± 4.88 g/L/h), as well as a significant inhibitory effect of α-amylase in vitro (IC50 = 0.99 ± 0.00 mg/mL) and in vivo (AUC = 51.94 ± 1.29 g/L/h), is recorded in our extract. Furthermore, its chemical composition reveals the presence of 37.03% rosmarinic acid, 7.84% quercetin rhamnose, 5.57% diosmetin-rutinoside, 5.51% catechin dimer, and 4.57% gallocatechin as major compounds. The antihyperglycemic and α-amylase inhibitory activities, associated with the antioxidant properties of S. lavandulifolia, justify its use in the treatment of diabetes in traditional medicine and highlight its potential introduction into antidiabetic drugs.

Correlation between the chemical composition and the antimicrobial properties of seven samples of essential oils of endemic Thymes in Morocco against multi-resistant bacteria and pathogenic fungi.

Thymus vulgaris, Thymus satureioides, and Thymus zygis are endemic Moroccan species that are intensively used due to their extensive medications and culinary properties. To enhance and preserve these overexploited species, the effect of provenance on the chemical composition of essential oils and antimicrobial activity against human pathogens were studied. Essential oils (EO) obtained by hydrodistillation from the flowering tops of thyme species were analyzed by GC-SM. The determination of minimum inhibitory (MIC), bactericidal (MBC), and fungicide (MFC) concentrations of EO were studied by microplate microdilution. The correlation between the chemical composition of EO and antimicrobial properties were evaluated using R software. The samples studied gave variable yields, ranging from 0.70 ± 0.03% to 4.12 ± 0.21%. The main constituents of Thymus vulgaris harvested from the municipality of El Hammam are carvacrol (68.8%), γ-terpinene (11.5%), and p-cymene (3.9%), while borneol (41.3% and 31.7%) and carvacrol (14.6% and 9.8%) are the most abundant in Thymus satureioides of the communes of Tata and Tigrigra respectively. For Thymus zygis, the results revealed the dominance of carvacrol (51.7% and 57.5%) for the municipalities of Tigrigra and Ain Aghbal, thymol (47.1% and 42.1%) for the municipalities of Bensmim and Timahdite respectively. These chemical profiles have similarities, but also reveal differences from the results given in the literature. In addition, the essential oils most active towards the microorganisms evaluated were those of Thymus vulgaris, followed by Thymus zygis and Thymus satureioides. These EO have very powerful MIC (MIC â©½ 300 µg/ml) against Gram-negative bacteria, and in particular, concerning Enterobacters cloacae, Citrobacter koseri, and Acinetobacter baumannii. Thymus zygis EO is the most active on candidates compared to Thymus vulgaris and Thymus satureioides EO, except Candida dubliniensis which was inhibited by Thymus satureioides EO from the commune of Azrou with a MIC = 18.75 µg/ml. The correlation determined between the major components and MIC showed that phenols have the strongest positive effects on antimicrobial properties, followed by terpenes and non-aromatic alcohols. In addition, different sensitivities of pathogens to chemical families have been observed against Enterobacter cloacae, Citrobacter koseri, Candida parapsilosis, Staphylococcus aureus multiresistant, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Aspergillus niger. Our results support the idea that these oils could be very useful in flavoring, food preservation, as well as a source of antimicrobial agents of great power against multidrug-resistant strains.