Chemical Properties, Antioxidant, and Antimicrobial Activities of Fruit extracts of Crataegus monogyna var. odemisii

Abstract

Fruit of the Crataegus species (Rosaceae), known as the "Hawthorn" wild plant, has important benefits for human health. The purpose of this study was to determine the chemical properties of one of the local endemic taxa, Crataegus monogyna var. odemisii in west Turkey. Based on the chemical analysis results, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of fruit extracts, the fruit lipid contents, total phenol, and total flavonoid contents were studied. Five different methods were used to measure antioxidant capacity, namely the CUPRAC, β-Carotene-linoleic acid, DPPH•, ABTS•+, and CUPRAC analyses were used for the measurement of antioxidant capacity. The results showed that the highest antimicrobial activity was against C. albicans, and it was more effective against Gr+ bacteria than Gr- bacteria. The qualitative, as well as quantitative, analyses of lipid contents of the fruits of C. monogyna var. odemisii were made by gas chromatographic analysis. Folin-Ciocalteu reagent was used for determining the total phenolic content, and aluminum chloride was used for determining the flavonoid content. Results revealed that there was a statistically significant relationship between the antioxidant activities and the phenolic and flavonoid contents in the extracts of Hawthorn fruits.