Planta Med 2011; 77 - PM68
DOI: 10.1055/s-0031-1282826

Phenolic amounts, antioxidant and antimicrobial potential of Crithmum maritimum cultivated in Tunisian arid zones

O Houta 1, A Akrout 2, H Amri 1
  • 1Laboratory of organic and organometallic chemistry, University Campus 2092-Tunis, Tunisia
  • 2Range Ecology Laboratory, Arid Land Institute of Medenine, 4119 Medenine, Tunisia.

Polyphenols are bioactive molecules exhibiting a lot of scientific attention due to their multiple biological activities. The present study aimed at assessing the phenolic content, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of different organs (leaves, flowers, seeds and stems) of Crithmum maritimum L. cultivated in the south east of Tunisia (Medenine).

The analyzed organs exhibited different total polyphenol amounts (8,60±2,64 to 24,89±2,44mg of gallic acid equivalents per g of dry weight), flavonoids (2,04±0,64 to 16,58±0,64mg of quercetin equivalents per g of dry weight) and tannins (0,532±0,488 to 1,06±0,77mg of catechin equivalents per gram of dry weight). Evaluation of antioxidant potential showed that seeds extracts displayed the highest DPPH· scavenging ability with the lowest IC50 value (406±11µg/ml). The antimicrobial activity of C. maritimum was evaluated by method disc diffusion against different pathogens and expressed as diameter of zone inhibition. Results showed that the bacteria tested responded differently according to each organ. Among tested bacteria, E. coli and P. aeruginosa are the most sensitive strains to C. maritimum extracts. Tested extracts showed also antifungal effect against Candida albicans.

We can conclude that C. maritimum has an antioxidant activity, which is correlated to their phenolic amounts. This species exhibited also antimicrobial effects against several human pathogens. Thus, the identification of responsible bioactive compounds is under progress in our laboratory to reinforce the notion of a potent valorization of such plant extracts.

Keywords: Crithmum maritimum, Phenolic content, Antioxidant, antimicrobial