Abstract:

In this study, the antibacterial and antifungal activity of Ornithogalum umbellatum L. extract was studied and the mechanism of these activities was associated with the findings obtained from the phytochemical content analysis. Antibacterial activity was studied against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, while antifungal activity was studied using the disc diffusion method against the Candida species. For the phytochemical analysis of the extract, the protein, glucose, fructose, total phenolic, total flavonoid content has been tested, the macro/micro element levels with ICP-MS and the phenolic compounds with LC-MS have been analyzed. The protein, glucose, fructose, phenolic and flavonoid content in the O. umbellatum extract is determined as 7.18 mg/mL, 4.67 mg/mL, 3.15 mg/mL 41.63±0.21 μgGAE/mL and 69.13±0.33 μgKE/mL respectively. It has been found that K, Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Zn macro/micro elements, which have an important role in biochemical reactions, contain intense amounts of active compounds such as gallic acid, procateic acid and caffeic acid. The O. umbellatum extract, which has an antimicrobial effect at different degrees against the tested microorganisms, has a higher antibacterial activity in gram-positive substances. The highest antibacterial effect is achieved against Staphylococcus aureusa with a 15.9±0.9 mm inhibition zone. The extract, which provides a similar level of inhibition against the tested Candida species, showed a lower antibacterial activity compared to its antibacterial activity. The creation of an inhibition zone in all the generally tested microorganisms indicates the broad spectrum characteristics of the extract. As a result, O. umbellatum extract is a natural antibacterial/antifungal source and its rich phytochemical content contributes to the exhibition of many biological activities of the extract.

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