PHENOLIC CONTENT AND ANTIOXIDANT, ANTIBACTERIAL, AND ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITIES OF THE ROOTS OF HEDYSARUM FORMOSUM AND HEDYSARUM ATROPATANUM

The article provides information on a study conducted to investigate the antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal activities, as well as the total phenolic content, of methanolic extracts obtained from the roots of Hedysarum formosum and Hedysarum atropatanum, species belonging to the Hedysarum L. genus. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was assessed by their ability to neutralize free radicals (DPPH, superoxide, and nitric oxide) and was compared to standard antioxidants such as quercetin and ascorbic acid. Antibacterial and antifungal properties were evaluated initially using the disk diffusion method, followed by serial dilution techniques for further analysis. The total phenolic content was determined using the Folin–Ciocalteu method. The results revealed that the extract from H. formosum exhibited higher antioxidant activity across all three radical-scavenging assays compared to H. atropatanum. Total phenolic content, expressed as gallic acid equivalent (GAE) per gram of dry extract, was found to be 114.73 mg/g for H. formosum and 55.04 mg/g for H. atropatanum. Microbiological assays demonstrated that the extract from the roots of H. formosum exhibited stronger activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus anthracoides, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa cultures.