By: Abdelrahim Elbalola
Keywords: Asteraceae, phytochemicals, antibacterial, antioxidant, molecular frameworks.
DOI : 10.36721/PJPS.2025.38.1.REG.219-232.1
Abstract: The structure of active compounds determines their functions. This study investigates the phytochemical composition of five plant species, tests their capacity to obstruct the growth of four pathogenic bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli), and to scavenge free radicals, and inspects the relationship between the biological activities and the phytochemical structural frameworks. GC-MS analysis was employed for specifying phytochemicals. The plant methanolic and ethanolic extracts and the antibiotic (AMC30), were evaluated for antibacterial capability utilizing the disc diffusion method. For assessing antioxidant activity, the DPPH method was used. Achillea fragrantissima exhibited the highest phytochemical diversity. Gram-negative bacteria were less sensitive to plant extracts. Pulicaria undulata and Pulicaria incisa demonstrated greater efficacy in suppressing bacterial proliferation. Artemisia judaica and P. undulata extracts showed higher free radicle scavenging relative to other species. The antioxidant action, antibacterial properties against B. subtilis, S. aureus and E. coli exhibited a statistically significant correlation with aromatic monocyclic compounds. A significant negative correlation was also observed between aliphatic polycyclic compound contents and E. coli growth inhibition, indicating that this compound category may have an E. coli growth stimulating capacity. This study proposes research into phytochemical frameworks and their target-specific properties.
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