Analysis of Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Properties of Different Plant Species Growing in Shar Mountains

The goal of the present work was to analyze the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of methanol extracts of different plant species (Datura stramonium seed, Datura stramonium leaf, Verbascum thapsus, Rosmarinus officinalis and Thymus vulgaris) grown in Shar Mountains, Kosovo. Three different methods were utilized to analyze the antioxidant activities of the plant extracts and their antimicrobial activities were determined by using agar well diffusion method. Considering the antioxidant results, Thymus vulgaris extract had the highest DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity with the IC50 value of 6271.43 ± 0.03 mg/L. The chelating property of iron ions was observed with the highest activity in Thymus vulgaris, Verbascum thapsus and Datura stramonium leaves and they showed the highest reducing power activity. In addition, the antimicrobial activities of the plant species were investigated against Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213), Bacillus cereus (SBT8), Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 6633) and Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 6051) by using well diffusion method. The results demonstrated that all plant samples had antibacterial effects on all bacteria tested. However, among the extracts, Rosmarinus officinalis and Thymus vulgaris showed the highest antibacterial activity against bacteria.