Phytochemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Enarthrocarpus clavatus Delile ex Godr flowers extracts

The phytochemical profile of various plant species reveals that some compounds possess notable antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. In this study we investigated for the first time, the antioxidant activity (FRAP, DPPH and TAC), total phenolic contents and total flavonoid contents of Enarthrocarpus clavatus Delile ex Godr flowers extracts (n-hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol) as well as their antimicrobial activity. The results obtained showed that the methanol extract contained the highest content of total phenolics (346.7 mg GAE/g DE) and flavonoids (339.9 mg QE/g) as it exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity. Furthermore, E. clavatus flower extracts have been tested for their activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and an interesting activity was obtained with methanol extract (MICs = 31.25 mu g.mL-1). The chemical composition of methanol extract was investigated using a high-performance liquid chromatographic method coupled with electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS). Therefore, 28 compounds were detected among them 18 were identified as flavonoids, phenolic acids and fatty acids.