Phytochemical Screening and Evaluation in vitro of Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Organic Extracts from Ammodaucus leucotrichus Coss & Dur Fruit from Algerian Sahara

This study aims at investigating the pytochemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the organic extracts of the fruits of Ammodaucus leucotrichus subsp. leucotrichus Cosson & Durieu. Plant of the Apiaceae (Umbellifera) family frequently used by the Arab world for traditional medicine and as a food condiment. Fruits of A. leucotrichus were phytochemically screened to determine the qualitative composition of secondary metabolites. Analyses look for flavonoids, tannins, saponins, coumarins, phenolic acids, alkaloids, and cardiac glycosides. Two methods are used to assess the antioxidant activity of various extracts: ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) free radical capture. Methanolic extract has a good ferric reducing capacity, which is higher than that recorded through BHT. With an IC50 of 2,256 µg/ ml, the capacity of trapping free radical DPPH is intriguing, similar to BHA's IC50 of 2.167 µg/ ml. Antimicrobial activity of the extracts and fractions is tested against eight bacterial strains and three human pathogenic fungi, revealing an intriguing antimicrobial profile.