Emad Mohamed ABDALLAH, Khalid Hamid MUSA, Kamal Ahmad QURESHİ, Alaa M M SADEEK

Antimicrobial activity and antioxidant potential of the methanolic leaf extracts of three cultivars of date palm trees (Phoenix dactylifera) from Saudi Arabia

The date palm tree (Phoenix dactylifera) is one of the oldest cultivated plants ever known; it is considered the life tree for Arabs. However, there is no adequate information about the bioactivity of the leaves. In this study, the methanol extract of leaves demonstrated the presence of some compounds with potential biomedical properties for human, such as cardiac steroids, flavonoids, phenols/polyphenols, phytosterols, quinines, saponins, tannins and resin. The results of the antimicrobial test indicate that the methanol leaf extracts of the three date palm cultivars contained potential antibacterial agents, particularly against Gram-positive bacteria and no antifungal effect can be detected on Candida albicans. The most susceptible bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Bacillus cereus and Enterococcus faecalis, respectively. The antioxidant activities of methanol extracts of different leaf cultivars were also investigated, using DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-2-picrymhydrasyl hydrate) radical-scavenging activity assay, all extracts showed considerable antioxidant potential. The current investigation suggests that leaves of date palm can be used as a promising source of natural antibacterial and antioxidant drugs

PDF

___

1. WHO. Antimicrobial resistance: global report on surveillance. Report QV250, WHO Press, World Health Organization, 20 Avenue Appia, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland. 2014.

2. Abdallah EM. Plants: An alternative source for antimicrobials. JAPS. 2011;1(6):16-20.

3. Zhang YJ, Gan RY, Li S, Zhou Y, Li AN, Xu DP, Li HB. Antioxidant Phytochemicals for the Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Diseases. Molecules. 2015;20(12):21138-56.

4. Al-daihan S, Bhat RS. Antibacterial activities of extracts of leaf, fruit, seed and bark of Phoenix dactylifera. Afr J Biotechnol. 2012;11(42):10021-5.

5. Anjum FM, Bukhat SA, El-Ghorab AH, Khan MI, Nadeem M, Hussain S, Arshad MS. Phytochemical characteristics of Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera) fruit extracts. PJFS. 2012;22(3):117-27.

6. Abed El-Azim MHM, El-Mesalamy AMD, Yassin FA, Khalil SA. Identification Phenolic and Biological Activities of Methanolic Extract of Date Palm Pollen (Phoenix dactylifera). J Microb Biochem Technol. 2015;7:47-50.

7. Jaradat AA. Biodiversity of date palm, Land Use, Land Cover and Soil Sciences. In: Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), Developed under the Auspices of the UNESCO, Eolss Publishers, Oxford, UK, 2011. [http://www.eolss.net] [Retrieved June 25, 2011]

8. Morton J. Date. In: Fruits of warm climates. Julia F. Morton, Miami, FL. 1987;5-11.

9. El-Far AH, Shaheen HM, Abdel-Daim MM, Al Jaouni SK, Mousa JSA. Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera): Protection and Remedy Food. Curr Trends Nutraceuticals. 2016;1:2.

10. Rahmani AH, Aly SM, Ali H, Babiker AY, Srikar S, khan AA. Therapeutic effects of date fruits (Phoenix dactylifera) in the prevention of diseases via modulation of anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-tumour activity. Int J Clin Exp Med. 2014;7(3):483-91.

11. Khan SA, Al Kiyumi AR, Al Sheidi MS, Al Khusaibi TS, Al Shehhi NM, Alam T. In vitro inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase and α-amylase level and antioxidant potential of seeds of Phoenix dactylifera L. Asian Pac J Trop Biomed. 2016;6(4): 322-39.

12. Mard SA, Jalalvand K, Jafarinejad M, Balochi H, Naseri MKG. Evaluation of the antidiabetic and antilipaemic activities of the hydroalcoholic extract of Phoenix dactylifera palm leaves and its fractions in alloxan-Induced diabetic rats. Malays J Med Sci. 2010;17(4):4-13.

13. Sasidharan S, Chen Y, Saravanan D, Sundram KM and Yoga LL. Extraction, Isolation and Characterization of Bioactive Compounds from Plants’ Extracts. AJTCAM. 2010;8(1)1–10.

14. Abdallah EM, Elsharkawy ER, Ed-dra A. Biological activities of methanolic leaf extract of Ziziphus mauritiana. Biosci Biotech Res Comm. 2016;9(4):605- 14.

15. Brand-Williams W, Cuvelier ME, Berset C. Use of free radical method to evaluate antioxidant activity. Lebensm Wiss Technology. 1995;28:25-30.

16. Al-Dawah NKJ, Ibrahim SL. Phytochemical characteristics of Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) leaves extracts. Kufa J Vet Sci. 2013;4(1):90-5.

17. Abdul Maged NQ and Abbas NA. Antibacterial activity of Phoenix dactylifera L. leaf extracts against several isolates of bacteria. Kufa J Vet Sci. 2013;4(2):45-50.

18. Perveen K, Bokhari NA, Soliman DAW. Antibacterial activity of Phoenix dactylifera L. leaf and pit extracts against selected Gram negative and Gram positive pathogenic bacteria. J Med Plants Res 2012;6(2):296-300.

19. Ayoola GA, Coker HAB, Adesegun SA, Adepoju-Bello AA, Obaweya K, Ezennia EC, Atangbayila TO. Phytochemical screening and antioxidant Activities of some selected medicinal plants used for malaria therapy in southwestern Nigeria. Trop J Pharm Res. 2008;7(3):1019-24.

20. Simic MG, Jovanovic SV. In: Ho C-T, Osawa T, Huand M-T, Rosen RT, eds, Food phytochemicals for cancer prevention II. Teas, Spices and Herbs. Page 20, American Chemical Society, Washington DC, U.S.A.1994.

21. Eddine LS, Ladjel S, Ridha OM. A comparative study of the antioxidant activity and phytochemical composition of leaves extract between three varieties of date palm tree. ILCPA. 2013;14:162-71.

22. Kriaa W, Fetoui H, Makni M, Zeghal N, Driia N. Phenolic Contents and Antioxidant Activities of Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) Leaves. Int J Food Properties. 2011;15(6):1220-32.

23. Alam MA, Juraimi AS, Rafii MY, Abdul Hamid A, Aslani F, Hasan MM, Uddin MK. Evaluation of antioxidant compounds, antioxidant activities, and mineral composition of 13 collected purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) accessions. Biomed Res Int. 2014;296063.