A ntimicrobial activity and phytochemical profile of Rumex nervosus extracts

Extracts from Rumex nervosus leaf (R. nervosus) were obtained using ethanol, methanol, and water and evaluated for their antibacterial and antifungal activities, alongside phytochemical profiling. Antibacterial activity was assessed against Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella Typhimurium through disc diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC). Antifungal activity was assessed against Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus niger through disk diffusion, broth microdilution (MIC and minimum fungicidal concentrations (MFC)), and poisoned food methods. Data are presented as mean ± SD of triplicate experiments and were analyzed by one-way ANOVA followed by Duncan’s test. Results: GC-MS analyses identified several bioactive compounds, predominantly stearic (32.4 ± 1.8%), linoleic (27.6 ± 1.3%), and palmitic acids (18.9 ± 1.1%), as well as phenolic (81.8 ± 6.93 mg GAE/g extract) and flavonoid constituents (21.5 ± 0.16 mg/g DW), and HPLC analyses detected gallic acid (0.126 ± 0.01 µg/g extract). The ethanol extract demonstrated superior (p < .05) inhibition zones and the lowest MIC/MBC values compared to water and methanol extracts. Antifungal activity against Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus niger was confirmed. The water extract (WE) showed the highest inhibition (88.24% ± 1.18) of Aspergillus fumigatus mycelial growth compared with the control. In conclusion, these findings suggest that R. nervosus exhibits promising broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties and may serve as a natural source of bioactive compounds for pharmaceutical and food safety applications.