Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activity of Helichrysum italicum (Roth) G. Don. from Central Europe

Zenon Węglarz; Olga Kosakowska; Ewelina Pióro-Jabrucka; Jarosław L Przybył; Małgorzata Gniewosz; Karolina Kraśniewska; Marek S Szyndel; Rosaria Costa; Katarzyna Barbara Bączek

doi:10.3390/ph15060735

Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activity of Helichrysum italicum (Roth) G. Don. from Central Europe

Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2022 Jun 10;15(6):735. doi: 10.3390/ph15060735.

Authors

Zenon Węglarz¹, Olga Kosakowska¹, Ewelina Pióro-Jabrucka¹, Jarosław L Przybył¹, Małgorzata Gniewosz², Karolina Kraśniewska², Marek S Szyndel³, Rosaria Costa⁴, Katarzyna Barbara Bączek¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Vegetable and Medicinal Plants, Institute of Horticultural Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences SGGW, 159 Nowoursynowska Street, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland.
² Department of Food Biotechnology and Microbiology, Institute of Food Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences SGGW, 159 Nowoursynowska Street, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland.
³ Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Horticultural Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences SGGW, 159 Nowoursynowska Street, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland.
⁴ Department of Biomedical, Dental, Morphological and Functional Imaging Sciences, University of Messina, Annunziata Street, 98168 Messina, Italy.

Abstract

Helichrysum italicum (Roth) G. Don. is one of the most important cosmetic and medicinal plants originating from the Mediterranean region of Europe. The aim of this study was to assess the chemical profile as well as antioxidant and antibacterial potential of the species cultivated in the temperate climate of Central Europe. The analyses were carried out using herbs and inflorescences. The content of essential oil ranged from 0.25 g × 100 g^-1 in the herb to 0.31 g × 100 g^-1 in the inflorescences. Neryl acetate, accompanied by α-pinene in the herb (10.42%), and nerol in inflorescences (15.73%) were the dominants here. Rutoside, as well as rosmarinic, chlorogenic, neochlorogenic, isochlorogenic b and cichoric acids, were detected in both raw materials using HPLC-DAD. Within this group, cichoric acid was the dominant (2647.90 mg × 100 g^-1 in the herb, 1381.06 mg × 100 g^-1 in the inflorescences). The herb appeared to be more abundant in phenolics in comparison with the inflorescences. When given antioxidant activity (determined using DPPH and ABTS assays), both methanolic extract and essential oil obtained from the herb indicated higher potential than those originating from the inflorescences (74.72, 61.38 and 63.81, 58.59% in the case of DPPH, respectively). In turn, regarding antimicrobial activity, the essential oil from inflorescences was distinguished by stronger bacteriostatic power than the herb essential oil. Gram-positive bacteria were more sensitive to both essential oils in comparison with Gram-negative ones, with S. aureus ATCC 25923 as the most susceptible (MIC 1; MBC 16 mg × mL^-1) among tested strains.

Keywords: Helichrysum italicum; antibacterial activity; antioxidant activity; cultivation; essential oils; herb; inflorescences; phenolic compounds.

Grants and funding

The part of the studies were supported by the Polish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, within the Multiannual Programme “Creating the Scientific Basis of the Biological Progress and Conservation of Plant Genetic Resources as a Source of Innovation to Support Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security of the Country”—Task 1.2.