Medicinal plants contain bioactive substances that are highly bioavailable in extracts or pure molecules, making them promising for therapeutic applications and precursors for chemo-pharmaceutical semi-synthesis. Harpagophytum procumbens (Devil’s Claw) is widely recognized as one of the most potent therapeutic herbs. This study aimed to extract seeds from H. procumbens using two types of solvents and to assess both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the extracts. The two extracts were evaluated for antibacterial and anti-biofilm activities using agar well diffusion assays against four bacterial isolates and two yeast isolates. Qualitative analysis identified the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, and terpenoids. The active components detected were: alkaloids (12.69%), flavonoids (3.25%), total phenolic compounds (24.58%), total terpenoids (8.55%), and total steroids (1.25% for methanolic and 4.55% for petroleum ether). Both methanolic and petroleum ether extracts exhibited antioxidant activities of approximately 85.33% and 74.19%, respectively, compared to ascorbic acid, which had an antioxidant effect of 67.99% at a concentration of 200 µg/ml. The extracts demonstrated a broad spectrum of activity against all tested bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes) and fungi (Candida albicans, C. tropicalis, C. parapsilosis). At a concentration of 1000 µg/ml, the seed extracts showed the highest bactericidal activity, with inhibition zones ranging from 10 to 22 mm. Moreover, both extracts exhibited greater anti-biofilm activity at 1000 µg/ml compared to lower concentrations. Our study found that seed extracts of H. procumbens possess significant antibacterial and antioxidant activities, particularly at a concentration of 1000 µg/ml.
Background: Euonymus japonicus is one species of celastraceous family used as a decorative plant and in traditional Chinese medicine. The lack of information about the main active constituents and the possible biological activities of Iraqi Euonymus japonicus leaves is considered a motivation to start this in vitro study
Objectives: to identify the phytochemical components and to evaluate antioxidant and antimicrobial activities
Material and Methods: The chemical composition of Iraqi Euonymus japonicus leaves was identified and analyzed using the Reversed-Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography approach and the antioxidant properti
... Show MoreThe medicinal plants (Astragalus species) have been used traditionally as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and Anti-diabetics. The current research investigates the phytochemistry and some biological activity of methanol extract of different parts of Astragalus bruguieri Bioss., a wild medicinal plant grows on Safeen mountain, Erbil, Iraq. The methanol extracts of A. bruguieri were analyzed for total phenolic, flavonoid, and saponin contents. In-vitro antioxidant activity was analyzed by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays. Furthermore, the plant extracts were examined for in-vitro enzyme inhibitory activity and in-v
... Show MoreThe current research focuses on the antioxidant activity, phytochemical, and inorganic content of five common medicinal plants: Asian pigeonwings, lemon balm, lemongrass, ginger, and turmeric. According to the phytochemical screening, flavonoids were present in all plants; tannins were present in lemon balm and lemongrass, saponins were present in all plants except lemongrass, and anthraquinone glycosides were detected only in turmeric. The aqueous extracts from lemon balm, Asian pigeonwings, and the methanolic extract from turmeric had the highest phenolic content, respectively. The inorganic composition of plants was determined using energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence. Asian pigeonwings, ginger and turmeric are mainly compos
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Convolvulus arvensis is a species of bindweed that is rhizomatous and is in the morning glory family (Convolvulaceae) native to Europe and Asia. The plant is naturally grown in Iraq. The plant was reported to be used in traditional medicine from as early as 1730s.
The Aerial parts of Convolvulus arvensis were macerated in 80% ethanol for 6 days. The concentrated extract was partitioned with n-hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate- and n-butanol successively. The n-hexane and ethyl acetate, fractions were examined for the presence of phytochemicals by thin l
... Show MoreThis study included the isolation and diagnosis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from cases of burns samples. 100 samples were collected from resident patients at Al-Kindi Teaching Hospital, who suffer from different types of burns. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was isolated and diagnosed with 39% of the total samples. The cold and hot aqueous and alcoholic extract of flaxseeds oil was prepared and its inhibitory efficacy has been studied on the growth of isolated Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It is revealed that both extracts of flaxseeds oil had a high inhibitory effect on Pseudomonas aeruginosa growth. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of flaxseed oil on the studied bacteria was also estimated, which was 25 mg/ml. In conclusion, the efficacy of fla
... Show MoreAlkaloids are a group of naturally occurring chemical compounds that contain mostly basic nitrogen atoms . They are a large family of compounds synthesized by plants in addition to the bacteria, fungi, and animals, they often have pharmacological effects. The aim of this study is to isolate and identified alkaloids in a newly studied, wild Iraqi plant named
... Show MoreFourteen isolates were collected from a previous study and all were assigned to be Streptomyces genus, according to physiological and biochemical tests, however all the isolates varied morphologically and exhibited different antimicrobial activity. All 14 isolates were confirmed Streptomyces by 16S rRNA PCR amplification. Six isolates with high antimicrobial activities were ascertained Streptomyces spp. by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. Two isolates among the selected 6 isolates with antimicrobial activity against E. coli and S. aureus . It recommended to make a complete sequence for 16S rRNA to detect the species that
... Show MoreThe aim of this study was to study chemical constituents of aerial parts of Cardaria draba since no phytochemical investigation had been studied before in Iraq. Aerial parts of Cardaria draba were defatted by maceration in hexane for 72 h. The defatted plant materials were extracted using Soxhlet apparatus, the aqueous Methanol 90% as a solvent extraction for 18 h, and fractionated with petroleum ether- chloroform (CHCl3)- ethylacetate- and n-butanol respectivly. The ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and n-butanol after hydrolysis fractions were investigated by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and thin-layer chromatography (TLC) for its phenolic acid and flavonoid contents. Flavono
... Show MoreArum maculatum is traditionally used for the control of many diseases and illnesses such as kidney pain, liver injury, hemorrhoids. However, the detailed biomedical knowledge about this species is still lacking. This study reports on the bioactive components and the possible mechanisms underlying the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activity of A. maculatum leaf extract. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used for phytochemical analysis. Assay of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide ) (MTT) was used to determine the cytotoxicity in the murine cell line L20B upon exposure to different extract concentrations for 24 h. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect pro-in
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