Phytochemical analysis, in vitro antioxidant and antibacterial activities of root extracts of Carduus macracanthus

Medicinal plants have played a pivotal role in the primary healthcare and formed the basis of traditional systems of medicines. They are effective in the treatment of infectious diseases while simultaneously mitigating many side effects that are often associated with synthetic antimicrobials. A disease that caused through pathogenic microorganisms is the major cause of deaths across the world. Increasing cases of drug resistance, unwanted side effects of existing antibiotics and the reappearance of earlier known infections lead to the need for new, safe and effective antimicrobial agents[1-3]. Thus, phytoconstituents such as phenolics are being considered to be safe and provide lesser chances for microbes to develop drug resistance. Oxidative stress is mainly caused by the reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as hydroxyl radical (·OH), peroxide (ROO·) and superoxide radicals (O2· ). These reactive oxygen species are classes of compounds formed from oxygen metabolism, and are able to cause severe damage to cells and tissues. The effect of oxidative stress is linked to cardiovascular diseases, cancer, inflammatory diseases and many other health issues. Antioxidants are significant agents in reducing oxidative stress which damages cells and biological molecules[4]. Natural antioxidants such as bioactive flavonoids are of great ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT