Abstract

The present study investigated antimicrobial and antioxidant activity, total phenolic content and flavonoid concentration of methanolic, acetone and ethyl acetate extracts from fresh leaves and roots of Jovibarba heuffelii (Schott.) A. Löve and D. Löve. The extracts were prepared and used to evaluate the antimicrobial activity against a panel of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria as well as against fungi. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated using broth microdilution method. J. heuffelii extract showed moderate antibacterial activity, while its antifungal activity was significantly higher. The concentration of total phenolic compounds of the extracts from roots ranged from 47.98 to 31.33 mg of GAE/g. The concentrations of flavonoids in the tested plant extracts ranged from 5.26 to 16.44 mg of RuE/g. The high contents of total phenolic compounds and flavonoids indicated that these compounds contribute to the antimicrobial activity. Antioxidant activity of plant extracts was examined in vitro using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) reagent and compared with the reference substances values (3-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole (BHA), rutin, chlorogenic acid). The results pointed to high antioxidant activity of phenolic compounds in J. heuffeliiextracts.

Key words: Jovibarba heuffelii, antioxidant, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, antimicrobial activity.