Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Ballota nigra L. subsp. anatolica P.H. Davis

Many ancient and contemporary societies have relied heavily on herbal treatments for medical care. Plant’s secondary metabolites have extensively different bioactivity properties. Several species in the genus Ballota L. have been shown to have medicinal benefits for various illnesses. B. nigra L. from both clinical and experimental investigations provides strong proof that this plant can prevent serious illnesses. External usage of B. nigra species is used to treat burns and wounds. Certain subspecies of B. nigra are utilized for its aerial parts internally, where they are used to reduce cough, alleviate inflammation, and treat gastrointestinal issues. In this study, ethyl acetate, methanol extracts, and infusion samples of the aerial parts of B. nigra subsp. anatolica were prepared, and their antimicrobial activity by using microbroth dilution method against six pathogens, total phenolic content by the Folin-Ciocaltaeu method, and antioxidant effects by the DPPH method was investigated. As a finding, the highest concentration of total phenol (66.8 mg GAE/g ext) was found in the methanol extract. The ethyl acetate and infusion extracts had corresponding total phenol concentrations of 43.2 mg and 49.6 mg GAE/g ext. The methanol extract of the plant exhibited higher antioxidant activity than other extracts, with an IC50 value of 0.516 mg/mL. The infusion samples exhibited no antibacterial action, and the methanol and ethyl acetate extracts' MIC values ranging from 97 to 3125 μg/mL. It is possible to conclude that yeast species are more susceptible to plant extracts than bacteria species with low MIC values.