Investigation of the chemical composition and antioxidant and antibacterial activities from Polygonum perfoliatum L.

Abstract

    This study preliminarily evaluates the chemical composition, antioxidant and antibacterial activity of Polygonum perfoliatum L. extract. By simple chemical reactions, different compounds such as flavonoids, anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, tannins, saponins, reducing agents and organic acids were determined by qualitative methods. Among them, polyphenols and flavonoids are the groups that give strong positive reactions. Polygonum perfoliatum L. plant extract showed significant antioxidant activity, eliminating more than 70 % (71.43 %) of DPPH free radicals at a concentration of 300 μg/mL, with an IC₅₀ of 234.55 μg/mL. Evaluation of antibacterial ability using the agar disk diffusion method showed strong antibacterial activity against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). From the above results, it shows that Polygonum perfoliatum L. may be a potential source of natural medicinal herbs in treatment applications and opens up further research in the future..