ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITIES OF SELECTED ARMENIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS

The antioxidant potentials of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Hypericum perforatum, Ocimum basilicum, Laurus nobilis leaves were evaluated by 2, 2-diphenyl-l-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) assay. Simultaneously total flavonoids content and antibacterial potential of all the tested extract was also monitored. The highest radical scavenging capacity (RSC) was reported in ethanolic extract of H. perforatum leaves while the lowest RSC was reported in the aqueous extract of L. nobilis. The ethanolic extracts of L. nobilis posses more DPPH radical scavenging action, than their aqueous extracts. Ethanolic and aqueous extracts of H. perforatum shows significant antioxidant activity, it is near to inhibition capacities while ethanolic extract of O. basilicum leaf has exhibited small activity as compared with its aqueous extract. RSC of ethanolic extracts can correlates with flavonoids content. The antiradical activity of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of L. nobilis leaf can also correlate with total flavonoids content, while such type of correlation was not reported in the case of H. perforatum and O. basilicum leaves extracts. RSC of tested extracts can be ranged in the following way: quercetin > rutin > eth. H. perforatum > aq. H. perforatum > aq. O. basilicum > eth L. nobilis > eth. O. basilicum > aq. L. nobilis. All the ethanolic extracts express more antibacterial activity than aqueous extracts.