Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate antifungal and antioxidant activities of Hypericum perforatum L. extracts against the growth of certain fungi. The ethanolic, acetonic and petroleum ether extracts of the plant were evaluated for phenols, flavonoids and non-flavonoids. The highest amounts of phenols (17.6 mg EPC/g dry extract) and flavonoids (16.85 mg EPC/g dry extract) were found in the acetonic extract. The highest inhibitory effect on the growth of Penicillium canescens, Fusarium oxysporum, Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus glaucus and Phialophora fastigiata by the disk diffusion method was exhibited by the ethanolic extract at the concentration of 25 mg/disk. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the ethanolic and petroleum ether extracts was 20 mg/mL. The acetonic extract did not affect the growth of the tested fungi. Antioxidant activity was assessed by determining 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity. The results showed that the ethanolic extract of Hypericum perforatum L. possesses antioxidant activity. The IC50 values, defined as the concentration of the test sample leading to 50% reduction of the free radical concentration, determined for each measurement were <7.8125, 105.9, 5.99 and 12.77 ?g/ml for the ethanolic extract, the acetonic extract, ascorbic acid and BHT, respectively, for DPPH free radical scavenging activity.
Highlights
The objective of this study was to evaluate antifungal and antioxidant activities of Hypericum perforatum L. extracts against the growth of certain fungi
In view of the above literature data confirming the use of H. perforatum as both an effective antimicrobial substrate and a taste corrigent, this study was aimed at evaluating the inhibitory effect of the selected Hypericum perforatum L. extracts against fungal growth in foodstuffs i.e. determining the potential use of the plant extracts as natural preservatives
The above results on the quantitative determination of total phenols, flavonoids and non-flavonoids in the tested Hypericum perforatum L. extracts suggest that the highest contents of phenols and flavonoids were found in the acetonic extract (17.6 mg EPC/g dry extract and 16.85 mg EPC/g dry extract)
Summary
The objective of this study was to evaluate antifungal and antioxidant activities of Hypericum perforatum L. extracts against the growth of certain fungi. The ethanolic, acetonic and petroleum ether extracts of the plant were evaluated for phenols, flavonoids and nonflavonoids. Hypericum perforatum L. has a wide range of medicinal uses, including skin wounds, eczema, burns, diseases of the alimentary tract, and psychological disorders [3] Ethanolic extracts of this plant are known to contain a number of phenolic compounds, including hypericin, hyperforin and their derivatives, rutin, hyperoside, quercetin, chlorogenic acid, flavonols and flavones. This can serve as an indicator of their potential antioxidant properties [4]. Conventional microbial culture media were used, which included potato-glucose agar for the disk diffusion method, and the Mueller–Hinton broth for the dilution method
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