Comparative analysis of medicinal plants from Kurdistan region-Iraq for chemical constituents and bioactivities

Abstract

The medicinal plants in Kurdistan-Iraq are used widely for the treatment of many diseases. Therefore, it is very interesting to look after the components of these plants as they are involved directly in the therapy. The collected samples from Dohuk City in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq were Adiantum capillus-veneris, Polygonum avicular, Urtica dioca, Tribulus terretris, Artemisis splendens Willd, Scirpus lacustris, Mentha longifolia, Thymus kotschyanus, Achillea santolina and Anthenis des champs. The elemental contents of these samples were evaluated by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The antibacterial and antioxidant activities were identified for the methanolic extracts of these plants. This study aims to identify the components, evaluate elemental content and analyze the biological activities of certain medicinal plants used in the region. The qualitative analysis of the phytochemical by screening out the methanolic extract of the collected samples showed the presence of phenolic compounds, proteins, fatty acids, amino acids, anthraquinones, alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, saponins and steroids. Furthermore, the extracts have been analyzed to determine the presence of elements. The most abundant elements of the total 29 elements analyzed for the plant samples were iron, manganese, potassium and magnesium. This finding is important for potential drug discovery.