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Background: The presence of antioxidants such as polyphenol, in plants may provide protection against a number of diseases. Moreover, pathogenic fungi can cause a variety of adverse health effects and pose a serious health threat to both humans and livestock. The aim of present study was to determine the antioxidant and antifungal activities of aerial part extracts from Ephedra alata Decne. Methods: Antifungal activities were tested against three pathogens fungi using mycelial growth, sporulation and germination spores. Result: The determination of the polyphenol contents, total flavonoids and condensed tannins of the aerial part extracts gave respectively (TPC: 40.45±0.18 mg GAE/g, TFC: 133.25±0.11 mg QE/g, TCT: 20.76±0.19 mg CE/g). The flavonoids and methanolic extracts showed a good scavenging activity with an IC50: 0.23±0.66; 0.54±0.35 mg/ml, respectively. For antifungal properties, flavonoids extract showed the inhibitoriest activity against fungi tested, followed by methanolic extract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Folk medicine sometimes involves the use of salvia species for therapeutic purposes. Polyphenols with the highest amounts included rosmarinic acid (7.358mg/g), catechin (1.5 mg/g), vanillin (1.00 mg/g), chlorogenic acid (0.53 mg/g), quercetin (0.16 mg/g), and p-coumaric acid (0.015). Furthermore, the results showed that S. multicaulis has a high content of total phenol (4.39 mg/g) and DPPH activity (8.44 mg/g). Salvia multicaulis could be potentially used as a medicinal plant because of its antioxidant activity and polyphenol content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parsley ( Petroselinum hortense L.) plants cultivated under controlled conditions were exposed to different doses of cadmium to investigate the antioxidant capacity and cadmium accumulation in the samples. Two-months-old parsley seedlings were treated with four different concentrations of CdCl (0, 75, 150, and 300 μM) for fifteen days. Cadmium level in leaves increased significantly by increasing the Cd contamination in the soil. Total chlorophyll and carotenoid content declined considerably with Cd concentration. Cd treatment caused a significant increase lipid peroxidation in tissue of leaf. Superoxide dismutase activity (SOD, EC 1.15.1.1) increased partially at 75 and 150 μM CdCl concentrations whereas the activity decreased at 300 μM CdCl. Catalase (CAT, EC 1.11.1.6) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX, EC 1.11.1.11) activities were reduced by Cd application. Total phenolic compound amount increased significantly with increasing Cd concentration, as ferric reduction power, superoxide anion radical, and DPPH˙ free radical scavenging activities elevated slightly by the concentration. These results suggest that antioxidant enzymes activities were repressed depending on accumulation of cadmium in leaves of parsley while the non-enzymatic antioxidant activities slightly increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, 50% ethanol extract prepared front dry leaves of eight plants grown wildly in Mongolia were characterized for DPPH radical scavenging activity, ABTS radical cation scavenging activity, superoxide anion scavenging activity, ferric reducing power, iron chelating ability, and content of total phenol, flavonoid, and flavanol in order to find good sources of natural antioxidant from plant kingdom. Correlation coefficients between antioxidant parameters and contents of polyphenoiic compounds were also calculated. Among them, leaves of Vaccinium vitis-idaeae, Paeonia anomala, Rosa acicularis, and Hippophae rhamnoides were rich in poiyphenoiics and exerted strong scavenging activity against DPPH radical, ABTS radical cation, and superoxide anion and reducing power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mentha pulegium L. is a medicinal and aromatic plant belonging to the Labiatae family present in the humid to the arid bioclimatic regions of Tunisia. We studied the effect of different salt concentrations on plant growth, mineral composition and antioxidant responses. Physiological and biochemical parameters were assessed in the plant organs after 2 weeks of salt treatment with 25, 50, 75 and 100 mM NaCl. Results showed that, growth was reduced even by 25 mM, and salt effect was more pronounced in shoots (leaves and stems) than in roots. This growth decrease was accompanied by a restriction in tissue hydration and K+ uptake, as well as an increase in Na+ levels in all organs. Considering the response of antioxidant enzymes to salt, leaves and roots reacted differently to saline conditions. Leaf and root guaiacol peroxidase activity showed an increase by different concentration of NaCl, but superoxide dismutase activity in the same organs showed a slight modification in NaCl-treated leaves and roots. Moreover, polyphenol contents and antioxidant activity were analysed in M. pulegium leaves and roots under salt constraint. The analysis showed an increase of total polyphenol content (2.41–8.17 mg gallic acid equivalent g−1 dry weight) in leaves. However, methanol extract of leaves at 100 mM NaCl displayed the highest DPPH· scavenging ability with the lowest IC50 value (0.27 μg ml−1) in comparison with control which exhibited IC50 equal to 0.79 μg ml−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]