Antibacterial Activity of Pulicaria odora Leaf Phenolics Collected in Algeria

Background: Pulicaria is a genus of the Asteraceae family, tribe Inuleae, containing 100 species with a distribution from Europe to North Africa to Asia. Objective: In this work, the study is focused on the difference in phytochemical and antibacterial activity of Pulicaria odora harvested in two regions of northern Algeria. Methods: Two maceration extraction methods were used; a stir plate at room temperature and bath shaker at 37 °C. Total phenolics and flavonoids were carried out using Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminium chloride methods, respectively. Antibacterial activity was evaluated by agar diffusion method on four bacterial strains Listeria innocua, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Results: The results found showed that the highest total polyphenol content was 271,8 ± 22, 52 mg gallic acid equivalent/g dry matter (mg GAE/g of DM); the best flavonoid content is 51,53 ± 4,42 mg quercetin equivalent / g of dry matter (mg QE/g of DM) harvested in Bejaia. The best levels of total polyphenols and flavonoids from the plant harvested in the region of Tizi-Ouzou are 218,23 ± 12.33 mg GAE / g of DM, 54,15 ± 5,98 mg QE/ g DM respectively. The two phenolic extracts obtained by the two solvents at a concentration of 70% are more active against S. aureus (17.66 mm for the sample of Bejaia at the concentration of 1mg /20μL), while a moderate sensitivity is recorded against other strains for the two samples. Conclusion: Pulicaria odora leaf extract is strong against bacterial infection and can be used as medicinal remedy and in food industry.