Artemisia campestris and Artemisia herbaalba: LC-HRESI-MS Profile Alongside Their Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Evaluation

Abstract

Artemisia species have been traditionally used to treat various ailments and health problems like colds, digestive troubles, gastric ulcer, menstrual pain, and diarrhea. In our study, total phenolic and flavonoid contents of 80% aqueous methanol extracts of Artemisia campestris and Artemisia herba-alba plants were investigated. Furthermore, their in vitro antioxidant and antimicrobial activities were evaluated. Also, their phytochemical profiling was performed via using LC-HRESI-MS analysis. Both plant extracts showed strong antioxidant activity using DPPH, ABTS, and phosphomolybdenum assays. The results revealed A. herba-alba extract showed moderate antimicrobial activity against bacteria including Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus. While A. campestris extract exhibited antimicrobial activity against different microbial populations such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans. Also, the results revealed that A. herba-alba extract contains high amounts of 3-O-methylquercetin, eupatilin and acacetin (ranging from 22.04 to 31.88 mg/g), while A. campestris extract contains significant amounts of 3-O-methylquercetin, rutin and chlorogenic acid (82.98, 79.44 and 29.54 mg/ g, respectively). In conclusion, the aqueous methanol extracts of both studied Artemisia species could be promising candidates for treating microbial infections and oxidative stress.