Total Phenolic, Flavonoid Contents, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Hesperis pendula

Abstract

Many natural products are used in complementary medicine. Plants are widely used among these natural products. In this study, it was aimed to determine the total phenolic and flavonoid contents, total antioxidant status and antimicrobial activity of Hesperis pendula DC. In this context, the above-ground parts of the plant were extracted with ethanol and methanol. The total antioxidant level of the plant was determined using Rel Assay Diagnostics kits (Megatıp/Türkiye). The total phenolic content was assessed using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. Aluminum chloride assay was used to estimate the total flavonoid content. Antimicrobial activity was tested against bacterial and fungal strains by agar dilution method. As a result of the studies, it was observed that the ethanol extract of the plant had higher TAS (Total antioxidant status) (5.707±0.194 mmol/L), TOS (Total oxidant status) (21.646±0.239 µmol/L) and OSI (Oxidative stress index) (0.380±0.017) values. Total phenolic content was higher in ethanol extract (116.78±2.51 mg/g) while total flavonoid content was higher in methanol extract (93.64±2.16 mg/g). It was observed that the ethanol and methanol extracts of the plant inhibited the growth of bacteria at  100-200 µg/mL concentrations. It was determined that ethanol extract inhibited the growth of fungi at 200 µg/mL concentration and methanol extract at 200-400 µg/mL concentrations. In this context, it was determined that H. pendula could be a natural antioxidant and antimicrobial source.