Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Pulicaria Odora Extract

Background: The Pulicaria genus (Asteraceae family) plays a remarkable role in the development of drugs used in modern medicine. Leaf extracts of Pulicaria odora harvested in Bejaia were evaluated for their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Methods: HCl method at three different wavelengths (280, 320, and 360 nm) was carried out for total phenolic content and characterized by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) analysis. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated using four bacterial strains (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria innocua) and three molds (Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, and Trichoderma reesei). Four antioxidant tests (ORAC, ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP) were performed. Results: The extracts had high total polyphenols (305 mg catechin equivalents [CE]), flavonols (56 mg quercetin equivalents [QE]), tannins (77 mg CE) and tartaric acids (38 mg caffeic acid equivalents [CAE]) per g dry matter contents. UPLC analysis of the 70% ethanol extracts showed abundant phenolic acids (protocatechuic, chlorogenic, and caffeic acids). Pulicaria odora extracts exhibited good antimicrobial activity against bacterial (∼18 mm inhibition zones) and molds (11.3- 17.3 mm) strains. Conclusion: All extracts displayed good antioxidant activity and effective antimicrobial activity, enabling their use as a conservative agent or therapeutic remedy.