Anti-oxidant, antimicrobial and anti-acetylcholinesterase activities of organic extracts from aerial parts of three Tunisian plants and correlation with polyphenols and flavonoids contents

Abstract

<p class="Abstract">In goal of searching new active compounds with important biological activities, a screening of several plants from salt-marsh region of Chebba-Tunisia had been realized. Three species had been selected: <em>Calendula arvensis, Chenopodium murale</em> and <em>Nicotiana glauca</em>. The organic extracts of different aerial parts of these plants (stems, leaves and flowers) displayed variable contents of total polyphenols (TPP) and total flavonoids (TF). Flowers acetone extract from <em>N. glauca</em> contained the higher quantity in TPP (264.8 ± 1.6 µg GA/mg), while stems dichloromethane extract exhibited the best TF content (49.8 ± 2.2 µg QE/mg). The important TPP and TF contents reflected a good anti-oxidant and antimicrobial activities. The best acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity had been shown in the fractions obtained after extraction with low polarity solvents. Whence, a correlation of flavonoids contents with biological activities had been shown, while, there was no correlation with acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity.</p><p> </p>