Antimicrobial And Antioxidant Activities And Total Phenolic Content Of Tanacetum Polycephalum Schutz.Bip. As A Folkloric Herb In South Western Iran

Medicinal plants and their essential oils are potentially useful sources of antioxidant and antibacterial compounds. Tanacetum polycephalum Schutz.-Bip belonging to the family Asteraceae is an important folkloric medicinal plant in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, South western Iran. In this study, total phenolic content, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the, essential oil from the aerial parts of T. polycephalum collected from 6 different natural habitats of Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province were investigated. The total phenolic content of the essential oilswas determined by Folin-Ciocalteu methodand antioxidant activity using alpha, alpha - diphenyl - beta - picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method was tested. In addition, the antibacterial activity of the essential oils against 6 bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Proteus vulgaris, Listeria monocyto genes, Streptococcus agalactiae and Salmonella typhimurium was tested by agar disc diffusion assays. Results of this study indicated that total phenolic contents ranged between0.06 to 0.16 mg GAE/gm DWE. In addition, results indicated that the essential oils from different populations of T. polycephalum exhibited radical scavenging activity. The results of this study confirmed the essential oils from different populations of T. polycephalum exhibited marked antibacterial activity. This finding suggests that the herb can be served as a valuable source of natural antioxidants and antibacterial for further isolation and purification.