Antioxidant and antibacterial activities of extracts from Artemisia herba alba Asso. leaves and some phenolic compounds

Artemisia herba alba Asso. (Compositae) is widely used in the Algerian folk medicine. Phenolic compounds present in this plant could be candidates for some of its biological activities and therefore for its therapeutic use. In this study, polyphenolic compounds were extracted, identified and quantified in A. herba alba leaves extracts. High flavonoids contents (apigenin and luteolin) were present in the ethyl acetate phase, in addition to phenolic acids (protocatechic acid, caffeic acid, gallic acid and ferulic acid derivatives). The aqueous phase contains smaller amounts of phenolic acids while the chloroform phase contains phenolic acids and aglycon flavonoids. The antioxidant properties of these extracts and some phenolic compounds were estimated by measuring the capacity of these extracts and compounds in scavenging the free radical 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and inhibition of the volatile organic compounds and the conjugated diene hydroperoxides arising from linoleic acid oxidation and inhibiting lipid peroxidation. The antibacterial activity of Artemisia extracts and phenolic compounds was also estimated against some bacterial strains.