Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity of Ferulago trojana E. Akalın & Pimenov

Abstract
The genus Ferulago W.Koch. (Apiaceae) is represented by 34 species of which 18 are endemic in Turkey. Since Dioscoride’s times, Ferulago species have been used in folk medicine as sedative, tonic, digestive, carminative, aphrodisiac as well as in the treatment of intestinal worms and hemorrhoids. This study was conducted to evaluate polyphenolic contents and antioxidant activities of methanol extracts from aerial parts and rhizomes of Ferulago trojana E. Akalın &Pimenov measuring their ability of inhibiting lipid peroxidation induced by Fe3+-ascorbate, DPPH· and ABTS·+ scavenging activities, and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP value). Also the methanol extracts were examined for their antimicrobial activity by the microbroth dilutions technique . It was concluded that methanol extract from the aerial parts of the plant, containing the highest amount of total phenolics and flavonoids, has the antioxidative potential for chain-breaking inhibition of lipid peroxidation and shows the strongest hydrogen and a single electron donor activities, thus could serves as free radical scavenger, acts as reductant and provide protection against oxidative stress. Although the methanol extract from rhizomes did not show any inhibitory effect on lipid peroxidation, it may also be expected to protect against oxidative damage by scavenging free radicals and acting as reductant. In this study, both methanol extracts from aerial parts and rhizomes of Ferulago trojana showed antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Meticillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Staphylococcus epidermidis while no activity was observed against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa for any of the extracts. Methanol extract from rhizomes of F. trojana showed antibacterial activity against Proteus mirabilis and antifungal activity against the yeast Candida albicans.