Phytochemical analysis and in vitro biological activity assessment of extracts from Micromeria myrtifolia

Abstract

In this study, the antioxidant capacity, the effect on anti-acetylcholinesterase and anti-urease enzyme inhibition, and kidney stone-reducing effects of different extracts from M.myrtifolia. In addition, the phytochemical content of the bioactive methanol extract was analyzed by HPLC-DAD. The methanol extract showed strong DPPH (IC₅₀:0.036 mg/mL) radical scavenging, Cu (II) ion (6.535 mmTroloxE) and Fe³⁺ (6.476 FeSO₄) ion reducing antioxidant activity compared to other extracts. The methanol extract contained the highest amount of phenolic (400 mgGAE) and flavonoid (2.519 QuE) compounds. Moreover, the methanol extract had significant anticholinesterase (78.935%), anti-urease (71.014%) and calcium oxalate anti-crystallization (18.22%, 37.427%) activities. The findings show that all extracts exhibited varying amounts of antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. The bioactive methanol extract contained rosmarinic acid (31.35 µg), quercetin (12.99 µg) and chlorogenic acid (3.55 µg). The analyzed compounds are thought to contribute significantly to the pharmacological effect of the methanol extract.

Keywords: HPLC-DAD; Micromeria myrtifolia; biological activity.