Abstract:

The study was aimed at evaluating the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of the methanol extract of Tornabea scutellifera collected from Eastern Mediterranean Region of Turkey. Antioxidant activity was employed by three complementary test systems namely phosphomolybdenum, β-carotene/linoleic acid and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging systems. In β -carotene-linoleic acid system, T. scutellifera methanol extract exhibited 72.0% inhibition against linoleic acid oxidation. In DPPH assay, IC50 value of the methanol extract was determined as 147.06 μg/mL. Total phenolic content in the methanol extract was determined spectrometrically applying the Folin- Ciocalteu assay. The extract was tested against thirteen bacteria and two yeasts by agar diffusion assay and found active against Aeromonas hydrophila, Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus brevis, Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus. No antimicrobial activity against the yeasts (Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae) was detected. The results obtained in the present study indicate that T. scutellifera may be a potential source of natural antioxidant and antimicrobial agents

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