Phytochemical Content, Antioxidant Activity, Essential Oils and Antibacterial Potential of Egyptian Phlomis floccosa D. Don and Glebionis coronaria (L.) Cass. ex Spach

Wild medicinal plants have gain attention due to their active secondary metabolites that possess distinctive therapeutic and pharmacological properties. This study focused on estimating the phytochemical content of Phlomis floccosa D. Don and Glebionis coronaria (L.) Cass. ex Spach, two medicinal plant species collected from Marsa Matrouh City in Egypt. Water, methanol, and petroleum ether extracts were prepared from both species for antioxidant activity assessment using the DPPH assay method. Additionally, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry was utilized to identify essential oils present in the aerial part of both species while antibacterial activity against nine isolates was also evaluated. Our results revealed that water extracts of P. floccosa and G.coronaria contained higher amounts of phenols, flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, and saponins than other extract types tested. In terms of essential oil components, P. floccosa's aqueous extraction yielded 19 oxygenated as well as non-oxygenated hydrocarbon compounds; whereas, G. coronaria's extracted oil contained forty-six volatile compounds including 17 hydrocarbons, five terpenes, eighteen fatty acids/lipids, six steroids etc., respectively. Finally, in relation to antimicrobial effects observed: Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus were inhibited by water extract of P. floccosa; on the other hand, G. coronaria exhibited inhibitory effects against Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, and S. epidermidis by the use of its aqueous or methanolic solvent systems. Generally, it can be concluded that these plant species may provide promising sources of natural products with antioxidant and antibacterial activities