Abstract:
This study aims to explore new natural antimicrobial agents derived from leaf extracts of
Ruta graveolens "Fidjel" collected from the Zelfana region (Ghardaïa). This plant holds
considerable potential for biological activity, largely due to its widely known traditional
applications. The extracts were prepared by cold maceration of the leaf powder using three
solvents (water, ethanol, and ethyl acetate). Among these, the aqueous extract yielded the
highest extraction rate (24.64%). Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of bioactive
compounds such as flavonoids, tannins, and alkaloids, confirmed through qualitative tests.
Quantitative analyses indicated that the aqueous extract was the most efficient in extracting
total polyphenols (15.54 ± 0.009 mg GAE/g DM), flavonoids (1.26 ± 0.126 mg QE/g DM), and
condensed tannins (0.034 ± 0.099 mg CE/g DM). However, the highest content of phenolic
acids was observed in the ethyl acetate extract (0.134 ± 0.000 mg CAF/g DM.Antimicrobial
activity, evaluated using the disk diffusion method, generally showed no activity against most
of the tested bacterial strains. However, a moderate antifungal activity (7 to 9 mm inhibition
zones) was observed with the ethyl acetate and ethanolic extracts against Candida albicans.
These results suggest that Ruta graveolens exhibits weak antimicrobial activity under the
experimental conditions used, highlighting the need for further analyses to better assess its
therapeutic potential and to identify the active compounds responsible.
