Exploring antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of phytocomponents from different anatomical parts of Prunus padus L

Prunus padus L. is a wild growing plant in various parts of the world with low soil requirements. This work evaluated the content of selected phytochemicals, antioxidant potential and determined the antimicrobial effect of individual anatomical parts of P. padus (i.e. leaves, bark, and fruits). It was shown that the examined anatomical parts of bird cherry (Prunus padus L.) contained polyphenols and low-molecular organic acids. The highest content of phenolic acids was found in P. padus leaves (1063 +/- 26 mg/100 g dm). The analysis regarding flavonols confirmed that the highest content was found in the bark (1530 +/- 61 mg/100 g dm). The content of low molecular weight organic acids, whose highest value was found in the fruits (1658 +/- 27 mg/100 g dm) was also assessed. The highest antioxidant activity with DPPH radicals was confirmed for the bark (8.9 +/- 0.03 mg TE/g dw). The FRAP test also showed the highest activity for the bark extract (380 +/- 18 mu M FeSO4/g dw). It was shown that signals located in the region of negative potentials in SWV (square wave voltammetry) indicated a high reducing ability of compounds present in P. padus, which means that they can be a very efficient protective barrier against oxidizing agents (i.e. the greatest intensity was for the leaves extract). The highest activity against Gram-negative bacteria was recorded in bird cherry leaves and the lowest in the bark. It showed that the leaves, fruits, and bird cherry bark can be a good source of antioxidant compounds and an attractive raw material with antimicrobial properties that can be widely applied, which is confirmed by the obtained results.