Chemical and Biological Characteristics of Ethanolic Extract of Tussilago farfara L. Flowers: Composition, Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities

Abstract

Tussilago farfara L. (Asteraceae) has a wide spectrum of biological reactivity, widely used in herbal medicine and has the potential for use in the agricultural sector. The ethanolic extract was obtained by maceration of freshly harvested flowers, followed by filtration of the extract and concentration with the help of a rotary evaporator. The chemical composition of ethanolic extract of Tussilago farfara L. was studied with the help of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) method. It was found that the ethanolic extract of Tussilago farfara L. had antimicrobial reactivity against human pathogens and phytopathogens (bacteria and fungi). The values of the minimal inhibiting, bactericidal and fungicidal concentrations varied in the range of 2500-5000 μg/mL. The phytopathogenic fungus Alternaria solani St108 was the most sensitive to the components of ethanolic extract of Tussilago farfara L. Moderate antioxidant properties of ethanolic extract of Tussilago farfara L. at concentrations of 0.001 mg/mL and higher were revealed with the help of chemiluminescence analysis.