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Phytochemicals and Antimicrobial Activities of Rumex nervosus Natural Populations Grown in Sarawat Mountains, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

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Abstract

Rumex nervosus, common weed plant in Sarawat Mountains, Saudi Arabia, belongs to family Polygonaceae and usually used as traditional herbal medicines. In the current study, R. nervosus plants dissected into roots, stems, leaves, and flowers that collected from seven locations in Aseer region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The antimicrobial activity of methanol and n-hexane extracts was investigated against three pathogenic bacterial strains and one pathogenic fungus by using agar well-diffusion method. The phytochemicals and vitamins content present in the methanol extracts was investigated by using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results revealed that all extracts showed significant activity against tested microbes. Methanol extracts demonstrated the highest degree of antimicrobial inhibition activity as compared with n-hexane extracts. The root extracts exhibited the highest inhibitory activity against the tested microbes. The GC–MS and HPLC indicated the presence of numerous phytochemicals in the different parts of R. nervosus as well as a set of vitamins including vitamins \({\mathrm{B}}_{1}, {\mathrm{B}}_{2}, {\mathrm{B}}_{12}\), and folic acid. In conclusion, the present study showed that methanol and n-hexane extracts of all parts of R. nervosus could be used as promising alternative drugs to treat bacterial and Candida spp. infections.

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Abbreviations

R.:

Rumex

S.:

Staphylococcus

M.:

Micrococcus

K.:

Klebsiella

C.:

Candida

GC–MS:

Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

HPLC:

High-performance liquid chromatography

RPM:

Rounds per minute

DMSO:

Dimethyl sulfoxide

RT:

Retention time

M.W.:

Molecular weight

Chem. F.:

Chemical formula

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Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to King Abdul-Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) for providing financial support (No. AT-37-1485).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia

    Norah A. Al Yahya, Sulaiman A. Alrumman & Mahmoud F. Moustafa

  2. Research Center for Advanced Materials Science (RCAMS), King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia

    Sulaiman A. Alrumman & Mahmoud F. Moustafa

  3. Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt

    Mahmoud F. Moustafa

Authors
  1. Norah A. Al Yahya
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  2. Sulaiman A. Alrumman
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  3. Mahmoud F. Moustafa
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Correspondence to Mahmoud F. Moustafa.

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Al Yahya, N.A., Alrumman, S.A. & Moustafa, M.F. Phytochemicals and Antimicrobial Activities of Rumex nervosus Natural Populations Grown in Sarawat Mountains, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Arab J Sci Eng 43, 3465–3476 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-018-3136-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-018-3136-z

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