Investigating the Polyphenolic Profile and the Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activity of Tarragon (Artemisia Dracunculus L) Cultivated in Central Romania

Abstract

The chemical composition, the antioxidant and antibacterial properties of Artemisia dracunculus L. leaves were examined through the utilization of four solvents for extraction. These solvents included ultrapure water, ethanol, methanol and acetic acid. The values reached for total polyphenols were between 77.2 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g for the acetic acid extracts and 192.1 mg GAE/g for the methanolic extracts. The total flavonoids were identified at 46.4 mg quercetin equivalent (QE)/g for the acetic acid extracts and 126.4 mg QE/g for the methanolic extracts. The IC50 antioxidant capacity values determined by the 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method were between 14.66 μg/mL (acetic acid extracts) and 20.33 μg/mL (methanolic extracts). 23 phenolic compounds were identified using the High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method. The methanolic and the aqueous extracts have on very good antibacterial activity on the Staphylococcus aureus 231 and Enterococcus faecalis 428 strains. A. dracunculus L. leaf extracts are rich in a diverse range of valuable active chemical and biological compounds.