The objective of this study was to evaluate antifungal and antioxidant
activities of Hypericum perforatum L. extracts against the growth of certain
fungi. The ethanolic, acetonic and petroleum ether extracts of the plant were
evaluated for phenols, flavonoids and non-flavonoids. The highest amounts of
phenols (17.6 mg EPC/g dry extract) and flavonoids (16.85 mg EPC/g dry
extract) were found in the acetonic extract. The highest inhibitory effect on
the growth of Penicillium canescens, Fusarium oxysporum, Alternaria
alternata, Aspergillus glaucus and Phialophora fastigiata by the disk
diffusion method was exhibited by the ethanolic extract at the concentration
of 25 mg/disk. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the ethanolic
and petroleum ether extracts was 20 mg/mL. The acetonic extract did not
affect the growth of the tested fungi. Antioxidant activity was assessed by
determining 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH) free radical
scavenging activity. The results showed that the ethanolic extract of
Hypericum perforatum L. possesses antioxidant activity. The IC50 values,
defined as the concentration of the test sample leading to 50% reduction of
the free radical concentration, determined for each measurement were <7.8125,
105.9, 5.99 and 12.77 ?g/ml for the ethanolic extract, the acetonic extract,
ascorbic acid and BHT, respectively, for DPPH free radical scavenging
activity.
Phenolic content, antioxidant and antifungal activities of acetonic, ethanolic and petroleum ether extracts of Hypericum perforatum L.