Determination of the Antimicrobial Potential of Naturally Grown Rosehip (Rosa canina L.) Fruit in the Giresun Region

Abstract

The rise of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms has become a major global public health challenge, prompting the search for alternative antimicrobial agents. In this study, the antimicrobial activity of Rosa canina (rosehip) fruit extract, collected from the Alucra Plateau in Giresun, Türkiye, was evaluated under in vitro conditions. Methanolic extracts were tested against Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes) bacteria, as well as fungal strains (Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Candida tropicalis) using the disk diffusion method. At a concentration of 30 mg/mL, the extract demonstrated significant inhibition zones against both bacterial and fungal pathogens. The most notable antifungal effects were observed against C. glabrata (20 mm) and C. tropicalis (16 mm). The absence of antimicrobial activity in the 25% DMSO control confirmed that the effects were solely attributable to the plant extract. These findings suggest that R. canina possesses promising natural antimicrobial properties and could serve as a complementary treatment option, particularly against multidrug-resistant pathogens.

Keywords

• Rosa canina
• Antimicrobial activity
• Natural extract
• Candida
• Antibacterial effect

References

1. Akkoyunlu A, Dulger G. 2024. Antimicrobial, anti-quorum sensing and antibiofilm potentials of Lamium galeobdolon (L.) L. and Lamium purpureum L. ethanolic extracts. J Apitherapy Nat, 7(1): 1-13.
2. Ashraf MV, Pant S, Khan MAH, Shah AA, Siddiqui S, Jeridi M, Alhamdi HWS, Ahmad S. 2023. Phytochemicals as antimicrobials: Prospecting himalayan medicinal plants as source of alternate medicine to combat antimicrobial resistance. Pharmaceuticals (Basel), 16(6): 881.
3. Balta F, Tekin N. 2021. Balıklardan izole edilen bazı bakteriyel patojenlere karşı tannik asitin antibakteriyal etkisinin belirlenmesi. J Anatolian Env Anim Sci, 6: 532-539.
4. Blumenthal M, Hall T, Rister R, Steinhoff B. 1998. German commission E monographs. Austin (TX): Am Bot Counc, 368-369.
5. Collins CM, Lyne PM, Grange JM. 1989. Microbiological methods. Butterworths, London, UK, pp: 410.
6. Comlekcioglu N, Dağlı F, Çömlekcioğlu U, Aygan A. 2022. Antioxidant capacity and some properties of Cornus mas and Rosa canina Fruits. Turkish J Agric - Food Sci Technol, 10(9): 1724-1731.
7. Dulger B, Dulger G. 2018. Anti-staphylococcal activity of Scutellaria albida subsp. albida against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. J Med Plants Stud, 6(4): 27-30.
8. Ercisli S. 2005. Rose (Rosa spp.) germplasm resources of Turkey. Genet Resour Crop Evol, 52: 787-795.

9. Fayaz F, Singh K, Gairola S, Ahmed Z, Shah BA. 2024. A comprehensive review on phytochemistry and pharmacology of Rosa species (Rosaceae). Curr Top Med Chem, 24(4): 364-78.
10. Haghparast A, Mohammadi Sichani M, Tavakoli M. 2023. Chemical composition and antibacterial activity of wild Rose (Rosa canina L.) gall extracts against gram-negative pathogenic bacteria. JABS, 13(1): 13-22.
11. Jo D-M, Tabassum N, Oh DK, Ko, S-C, Kim KW, Yang D, Kim J-Y, Oh G-W, Choi G, Lee D-S, Park S-K, Kim Y-M, Khan F. 2024. Green medicine: Advancing antimicrobial solutions with diverse terrestrial and marine plant-derived compounds. Processes, 12(11): 2316.
12. Masnavi E, Hassanzadeh S, Karimi K, Malekzadeh J, Khoramrooz S. 2024. Antibacterial activities of hydroalcoholic extract of Rosa canina L against hospital acquired infections. J Clinic Care Skill, 5(3): 157-163.
13. Maželienė Ž, Kirvaitienė J, Kaklauskienė K, Volskienė R, Aleksandravičienė A. 2025. Antifungal and antibacterial activity of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of different Rosa rugosa parts. Microbiol Res, 16(1): 26.
14. Miljković VM, Nikolić L, Mrmošanin J, Gajić I, Mihajilov-Krstev T, Zvezdanović J, Miljković M. 2024. Chemical profile and antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of Rosa canina L. dried fruit commercially available in Serbia. Int J Mol Sci, 25(5): 2518.
15. Moerman DE. 2002. Native American Ethnobotan., OR: Timber Press, Portland, USA, pp: 482-486.
16. Monroe S, Polk R. 2000. Antimicrobial use and bacterial resistance. Curr Opin Microbiol, 3: 496-501.
17. Ogah O, Watkins CS, Ubi BE, Oraguzie NC. 2014. Phenolic compounds in Rosaceae fruit and nut crops. J Agric Food Chem, 62: 9369-9386.
18. Polumackanycz M, Kaszuba M, Konopacka A, Marzec-Wróblewska U, Wesolowski M, Waleron K, Adam Buciński A, Viapiana A. 2020. Phenolic composition and biological properties of wild and commercial dog rose fruits and leaves. Molecules, 25(22): 5272.
19. Rovná K, Petrová J, Terentjeva M, Černá J, Kačániová M. 2015. Antimicrobial activity of Rosa canina flowers against selected microorganisms. J Microbiol, Biotechnol Food Sci, 4: 62-64.
20. Selahvarzian A, Alizadeh A, Baharvand PA, Eldahshan OA, Rasoulian B. 2018. Medicinal properties of Rosa canina L. Herb Med J, 3(2): 77-84.
21. Taner Saraçoğlu H. 2024. Farklı çözücülerle hazırlanan Elettaria Cardamomum (L.) maton ekstraktlarının antibakteriyel aktivitelerinin incelenmesi. Black Sea J Eng Sci, 7(4): 635-640.
22. Taştekin B, Çiftci G. 2023. Antioxidant capacity and antibacterial potential of Rosehip (Rosa canina) fruits grown. J Anatolian Environ Anim Sci, 8(1): 103-109.
23. Tolekova S, Sharmanov T, Sinyavskıy Y, Berzhanova R, Mammadov R, Aksoy ÖK, Rusif Y. 2020. Antioxidant, pharmacological, medical properties and chemical content of Rosa L. extracts. Int J Second Metab, 7(3): 200-212.
24. Veyisoğlu A, Balta YE, Tatar D. 2024a. Investigation of the antimicrobial activity of water and methanol extracts of Salvadora persica L. (miswak) plant against some pathogenic microorganisms. Int J Agric Environ Food Sci, 8(4): 964-969.
25. Veyisoğlu A, Yeşilyer A, Tatar D. 2024b. Ticari olarak satılan Spirulina platensis’in üç farklı çözücü ile elde edilen ekstraktlarının seçilmiş patojenik bakteri ve mantarlara karşı antimikrobiyal aktivitelerinin belirlenmesi. Black Sea J Eng Sci, 7(5): 1031-1035.
26. Vilhelmova-Ilieva N, Mikhova B, Panchev I. 2021. Antiviral activity of Rosa damascena and Rosa alba essential oils against acyclovir-sensitive and -resistant herpes simplex virus type 1 strains. Biology, 10(8): 746.
27. World Health Organization (WHO). 2022. Antimicrobial resistance. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antimicrobial-resistance (accessed date: June 12, 2025).
28. Yilmaz SO, Ercisli S. 2011. Antibacterial and antioxidant activity of fruits of some rose species from Turkey. Romanian Biotechnol Lett, 16: 6407-6411.