Volatile and phenolic characterization of Cassia angustifolia with antioxidant and antimicrobial evaluation

Studies have shown that medicinal plants are a good source of antioxidants and therefore protect the body against oxidative stress. Cassia angustifolia is a medicinal plant belonging to the Leguminosae family, represented by more than 350 species. Naturally growing in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Yemen, and Pakistan, this plant is a shrub that can grow up to eight meters tall. When we examined the antioxidant properties of this plant, whose extract was made in methanol and acetone, it was observed that the methanol extract (DPPH reducing capacity 571.76 ± 13.74 µg TE/mL ext.; TPC: 62.69 ± 2.88 mg GAE/g ext) showed stronger antioxidant properties. Looking at the volatile component analysis, a total of 65 compounds were detected, the most abundant being alcohol and ketone groups. Among the ketones, the compound with the highest amount detected was d-camphor (1.541 mg/kg). Among the phenolic components of this plant that we examined, rosmarinic acid was present in the highest amount in both extracts. The antimicrobial effect of C. angustifolia on Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, and Staphylococcus aureus strains was investigated, and it was found to be effective only against E. coli among these three strains.