Phenolic compounds, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities of methanolic extract from the Saharan endemic plant Haloxylon scoparium Pomel

This study aims to investigate the phenolic profile, antioxidant, and antibacterial activities of the methanolic extract of Haloxylon scoparium Pomel, an endemic plant of the Algerian Sahara. Quantitative analysis revealed total phenolic content of 54.77 mg GAE/g DM, flavonoids at 9.39 mg CE/g DM, and total tannins at 5.36 mg TAE/g DM. High-Performance Liquid Chromatography identified several phenolic compounds, including chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, quercetin, catechin, rutin, and kaempferol. Antioxidant activity, assessed using the DPPH radical scavenging assay, demonstrated a strong activity with an IC50 value of 68.64 µg/ml. The methanolic extract exhibited significant antibacterial activity against various pathogenic bacteria, including Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, with inhibition zones ranging from 19.00 to 22.10 mm. The extract also showed promising activity against two multidrug-resistant strains. These findings support the potential use of H. scoparium as a valuable source of bioactive compounds, offering significant antibacterial properties that could be further explored for the development of alternative therapeutic agents.