Phytochemical Composition and Biological Activities of Wild Scolymus maculatus L.
Date
2019-04-30
Authors
Abu-Lafi, Saleh
Rayan, Mahmoud
Masalha, Mahmud
Abu-Farich, Basheer
Al-Jaas, Hashem
Abu-Lafi, Malek
Rayan, Anwar
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI
Abstract
The wild population of spotted golden thistle, Scolymus maculatus, which
belongs to the Compositae family, is believed to be one of the multi-curative wild plants mentioned in
Flora Palaestina. This study aims to disclose the phytochemical composition, antioxidant potential,
and antimicrobial activity of wild S. maculatus collected from the farms of Kabul, a village in
northwest Galilee, for the first time. Methods: The phytochemical components of crude S. maculatus
extracts from methanol, ethyl acetate, and n-hexane solvents were separated and identified using
gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in the electron impact (EI) mode. The free radical
scavenging of the plant extracts was measured by DPPH assay. The microdilution test was used to
determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of di erent S. maculatus extracts and to
evaluate their antimicrobial activities. Results: Thirty-two phytochemicals were found in S. maculatus
extracts including stigmasterol,
-sitosterol, lupeol, lupeol acetate, and -amyrin. Phytochemicals,
such as 2-linoleoylglycerol,
-sitosterol, -amyrin, lupeol, (3 )-12-oleanen-3-yl acetate, and lupenyl
acetate, were found to dominate the methanol extract. Most of these compounds were also observed in
ethyl acetate and n-hexane extracts, but at di erent levels, in addition to some other minor compounds.
The various extracts were investigated for their antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. The ethanolic
and the methanolic extracts were shown to exhibit the highest free radical scavenging by DPPH assay
with a half-maximally e ective concentration (EC50) of 0.37 and 0.65 mg/mL respectively, while the
other three extracts (aqueous, ethyl acetate and n-hexane) were less active and their EC50 (e ective
concentration at which DPPH radical was scavenged by 50%) were above 1.0 mg/mL. Moreover,
MICs were determined to be e ective against Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium, and
Candida albicans microorganisms. Ethyl acetate and the ethanolic extracts are active against the three
types of microorganisms at a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.5 mg/mL, while aqueous
and the n-hexane extracts are inactive against Salmonella typhimurium. Conclusions: The results
show that S. maculatus extracts are a rich source of compounds that can play an important role in
human health, and in a broader context, in the treatment of various diseases, such antimicrobial and
antioxidant-related ailments.
Description
Keywords
Scolymus maculatus , phytochemicals , GC-MS analysis , herbal medicine , free radical scavenging , antioxidant , antimicrobial , DPPH assay