Phenolic Composition, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic Activites of Allium porrum L. (Serbia) Extracts

Abstract

In the present study, we investigated the phenolic composition, antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of ethanolic extracts from leaves and stems of leek (Allium porrum L.), which are growing in Central Serbia (Balkan) and is used in everyday human food. The standard spectroscopic methods were applied to determine total phenols and flavonoids, where present phenolic compounds were estimated by HPLC analysis. The results indicated that the highest content of total phenols and flavonoids were found in total Allium porrum plant (93.34 and 25.14 mg/g). The major phenolic compounds were: rosmarinic acid (33.26%), quercetin (33.48%) and rutin (22.32%) in Allium porrum L. stem extracts and quercetin (33.59%) and apigenin (17.56%) in Allium porrum L. leaf extracts. The total antioxidant (128.01 µgAA/g) and DPPH radical scavenging, IC50 (10.28 µg/mL) activites of total plant Allium porrum L. were in correlation with their phenolic and flavonoid contents. The ethanolic extracts of the Allium porrum L. showed a favourable antimicrobial activity against eight gram-positive and gram-negative pathogenic bacteria and fungi, especially against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Aspergillus niger. The cytotoxic studies indicate the Allium porrum L.extracts inhibit Hep2c, L2OB and RD cellls in a dose dependent manner. The IC50 values of Allium porrum L. extracts were 27.18 ± 0.88 and 25.89 ± 0.67 µg/mL against Hep2c and L2OB cells, correspodently and 76.95 ± 11.45 µg/mL against RD tumor cell after 48 h treatment period.These present results confirmed that Allium porrum L. possesses potentially important beneficial properties for human health.