Determination of Antioxidant Capacity and Antimicrobial Activity of Selected Salvia Species

Abstract

Aromatic plant species of genus Salvia are important medicinal plants, highly recommended due to a range of therapeutic properties: antirheumatic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antimicrobial, carminative, antidiabetic. The present study attempts to compare the antioxidant and the antibacterial activity of the methanol extracts obtained by maceration, from Salvia sclarea, Salvia lavandulifolia, Salvia officinalis Purpurascens, Salvia officinalis Tricolor and Salvia officinalis Icterina. The antioxidant capacity was evaluated by the DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical method. Furthermore, the antibacterial effect of the extract was tested against five bacterial strains using the disk-diffusion method. Salvia officinalis Tricolor extract possesses the strongest antioxidant capacity. Moreover, all extracts showed antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria tested (Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus) and against one Gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Salmonella Typhimurium was found to be resistant to Salvia sclarea extract and Escherichia coli to the extract from Salvia officinalis Purpurascens.