Antibacterial, antioxidant, and xanthine-oxidase inhibitory screening studies of selected cyperaceae species occurring in Europe

Plants belonging to the family Cyperaceae are used in traditional medicine worldwide to treat various diseases. The present study focuses on the antibacterial, antioxidant, and xanthine-oxidase inhibitory screening of 41 Cyperaceae species from genera Carex, Cladium, and Schoenoplectus, occurring in the Carpathian Basin. This study evaluated 123 fractions with different polarities (n-hexane, chloroform, and ethyl acetate) of 41 extracts for their antibacterial, antioxidant (DPPH and ORAC assays), and xanthine oxidase (XO)-inhibitory activities. Mainly the ethyl acetate fractions of Carex elata, C. hartmaniorum, C. melanostachya, C. montana, C. morrowii, C. oshimensis, C. petriei, and C. siderosticta displayed high antibacterial activity (inhibition zones > 15 mm) against one or more bacterial strains. In the case of Schoenoplectus lacustris and Carex petriei, also the ethyl acetate fractions showed remarkable antioxidant effects. In contrast, several chloroform extracts possessed XO-inhibitory activity. For Carex siderosticta, C. sylvatica, and Cladium mariscus, the results of the DPPH tests correlated well with those of the ORAC tests; these sedges demonstrated high antioxidant activities in both assays. Based on the results, especially Carex buxbaumii, C. rostrata, C. muskingumensis, C. oshimensis, C. montana, C. siderosticta, C. sylvatica, and Cladium mariscus are considered worthy of activity-guided phytochemical investigations to identify the specific compounds responsible for the observed activity.