From Tradition to Science: Antibacterial and Antioxidant Activities of Cornus sanguinea L. subsp. australis (C. A. Mey.) Jáv. Extracts

Abstract

The antioxidant and antibacterial activities of leaf and fruit extracts from Cornus sanguinea L. subsp. australis (C. A. Mey.) Jáv. were comprehensively evaluated. Plant material was collected from the Bahçesaray district of Van province in Eastern Anatolia, Türkiye, a region characterized by semi-arid climatic conditions and high altitude. Antioxidant activity was measured using DPPH activity and CUPRAC capacity assays, as well as total phenolic and flavonoid content analyses. Antibacterial activity was tested using disk diffusion, well diffusion, and microdilution methods against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis (Gram-positive), and Escherichia coli (Gram-negative). Leaf extracts contained significantly higher total phenolic and flavonoid content than fruit extracts and demonstrated stronger antioxidant capacity. In antibacterial assays, leaf extracts showed a pronounced inhibitory effect on Gram-positive bacteria but limited activity against E. coli. Microdilution analyses indicated that fruit extracts had notable antibacterial activity, especially against S. aureus and S. epidermidis, with low minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). Variations in MIC results between diffusion-based methods were attributed to differences in chemical composition, molecular weight, and diffusion capacity of the extracts. These findings suggest that C. sanguinea leaf and fruit tissues are promising natural resources for wound healing and dermatological applications due to their antioxidant and antibacterial properties. The results underscore the pharmaceutical potential of plants grown under environmental stress and provide a strong foundation for further phytochemical and in vivo research.

Keywords

• Cornus sanguinea L. subsp. australis
• bioactivity,
• ethanol extract
• maceration

Gelenekten Bilime: Cornus sanguinea L. subsp. australis (C. A. Mey.) Jáv. Ekstraktlarının Yara İyileştirme Yaklaşımıyla Antibakteriyel ve Antioksidan Aktiviteleri

Abstract

Cornus sanguinea L. subsp. australis (C. A. Mey.) Jáv.'in yaprak ve meyve ekstraktlarının antioksidan ve antibakteriyel aktiviteleri kapsamlı bir şekilde değerlendirilmiştir. Bitki materyali, yarı kurak iklim koşulları ve yüksek rakımıyla karakterize olan Doğu Anadolu'daki Van ilinin Bahçesaray ilçesinden toplanmıştır. Antioksidan aktivite, DPPH aktivitesi ve CUPRAC kapasitesi testleri ile toplam fenolik ve flavonoid içeriği analizleri kullanılarak ölçülmüştür. Antibakteriyel aktivite, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis (Gram-pozitif) ve Escherichia coli (Gram-negatif) üzerinde disk difüzyon, kuyu difüzyon ve mikrodilüsyon yöntemleri kullanılarak test edildi. Yaprak özleri, meyve özlerine göre önemli ölçüde daha yüksek toplam fenolik ve flavonoid içeriğine sahipti ve daha güçlü antioksidan kapasite gösterdi. Antibakteriyel testlerde, yaprak ekstraktları Gram-pozitif bakteriler üzerinde belirgin bir inhibe edici etki gösterirken, E. coli'ye karşı sınırlı bir aktivite sergiledi. Mikrodilüsyon analizleri, meyve özlerinin, özellikle S. aureus ve S. epidermidis'e karşı, düşük minimum inhibe edici konsantrasyonlarla (MIC) dikkate değer bir antibakteriyel aktiviteye sahip olduğunu gösterdi. Difüzyon bazlı yöntemler arasında MIC sonuçlarındaki farklılıklar, ekstraktların kimyasal bileşimi, moleküler ağırlığı ve difüzyon kapasitesindeki farklılıklara bağlanmıştır. Bu bulgular, C. sanguinea subsp. australis yaprak ve meyve dokularının, antioksidan ve antibakteriyel özellikleri nedeniyle yara iyileşmesi ve dermatolojik uygulamalar için umut verici doğal kaynaklar olduğunu göstermektedir. Sonuçlar, çevresel stres altında yetişen bitkilerin farmasötik potansiyelini vurgulamakta ve daha ileri fitokimyasal ve in vivo araştırmalar için güçlü bir temel sağlamaktadır.

Keywords

• Cornus sanguinea subsp. australis,
• biyoaktivite,
• etanol ekstrakt,
• maserasyon

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