PHYTOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT OF THE ANTIOXIDANT, HEMOLYTIC, AND ANTIBACTERIAL PROPERTIES OF LEAVES AND RHIZOMES OF CARTHAMUS CAERULEUS L.

Abstract

Carthamus caeruleus (L.), a member of the Asteraceae family, is traditionally recognized for its therapeutic properties, particularly in the treatment of burns and inflammatory disorders. Hydro-methanolic extracts of leaves and rhizomes were prepared and analyzed for their qualitative and quantitative phytochemical composition. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using three methods: DPPH, FRAP, and β-carotene assays. Additionally, hemolytic activity was assessed on human erythrocytes as a measure of cytotoxicity, and antibacterial activity was determined using the microdilution method. The leaf extract exhibited higher contents of phenolic and flavonoid compounds compared to the rhizome extract (p < 0.05). Whereas the rhizome extracts showed a higher tannin content than the leaves. HPLC analysis identified seven components in the leaves and a mixture of ten phenolic acids and flavonoids in the rhizome extracts. Antioxidant and antibacterial assays revealed the superiority of the leaf extracts over the rhizome extracts (p < 0.05), with comparable potential to BHT according to DPPH assays (IC₅₀ = 11.3 ± 0.5 µg/mL), β-carotene bleaching (74.94% ± 0.5), and FRAP activity (0.58 ± 0.076 mg/mL). The leaf extracts exhibited a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranging from 0.6 to 5 mg/mL. Hemolytic activity against human erythrocytes ranged from 0.86% to 14.45%. Overall, the species Carthamus caeruleus (L.) is characterized by its richness in bioactive compounds, particularly in the leaves, which could serve as a potential source of natural antioxidants and antibacterial agents with beneficial therapeutic properties.