Phytochemical Screening, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activity of Six Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Morocco: A Comparative Study

Phytochemical Screening, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activity of Six Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Morocco: A Comparative Study

This study evaluates the phenolic content, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties of hydro-ethanolic extracts from six medicinal and aromatic plants in Morocco: Eucalyptus torquata, Thymus broussonetii, Lavandula angustifolia, Rosmarinus officinalis, Ziziphus lotus, and Acacia raddiana. Sonication was employed for extraction. Total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and condensed tannin content were quantified using the Folin-Ciocalteu, aluminum chloride, and hydrochloric acid assays, respectively. Antioxidant capacity was assessed via DPPH, total antioxidant capacity, ferric reducing antioxidant power, and ABTS assays. Antibacterial activity was measured by the microdilution method. Phytochemical analysis revealed that E. torquata and Z. lotus had the highest total phenolic content, with 86.75 and 87.58 mg GAE/g of dry matter, respectively. T. broussonetii and R. officinalis had the highest flavonoid and condensed tannin content, at 297.12 mg QE/g of dry matter and 5.10 g/L, respectively. E. torquata exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity, with DPPH and ABTS values of 0.048 and 0.11 mg/mL, and a ferric reducing antioxidant power value of 209.375 mg/g. R. officinalis showed the highest total antioxidant capacity at 1.03 mg AAE/g of dry matter. All extracts displayed bactericidal effects. R. officinalis demonstrated the most potent antibacterial activity, with minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 0.625 to 5 mg/mL and minimum bactericidal concentrations from 1.25 to 10 mg/mL. High phenolic content and significant antioxidant activity were noted in E. torquata and R. officinalis. Additionally, all extracts showed substantial antibacterial activity against four bacterial strains, with R. officinalis being the most effective.