Solvents play an important role in the extraction process by considerably affecting the amount and nature of secondary metabolites of medicinal plants. Thus, the effect of solvents must be investigated to obtain desired biological properties of plant extracts. In the current study, we extracted aerial parts of Artemisia judaica, native to Saudi Arabia, in three different solvents, including methanol (MeOH), hexane (Hex), and chloroform (Chl). Obtained extracts from the aerial parts of A. judaica were analysed by GC-MS and GC-FID techniques, which resulted in the identification of 46, 18, and 17 phytoconstituents from the Hex, Chl, and MeOH extracts, respectively. All the extracts contain oxygenated terpenes, aliphatic hydrocarbons, and aromatics as major classes of compounds in varying amounts. Among the various phytoconstituents identified, piperitone was the dominant compound and was found in all the extracts in different amounts, specifically, 28.8, 26.1, and 20.1% in the Chl, MeOH, and Hex extracts, respectively. Moreover, all these extracts (Chl, MeOH, and Hex) were tested for the antimicrobial properties on both Gram-positive and negative bacteria as well as for their anticancer properties on four different cell lines including HepG2, DU145, Hela, and A549. Among the different extracts, the Hex and Chl extracts demonstrated identical antimicrobial properties, while the Chl extract showed superior anticancer properties when compare to the other extracts. The higher biological properties of Chl extracts including both antimicrobial and anticancer activities may be attributed to the presence of large amounts of piperitone and/or santonin, which are distinctly present in excess amounts in the Chl extract.
Keywords: GC–MS; biological activities; phytoconstituents; terpenes; volatiles.