Etude de l’activité antimicrobienne des extraits des feuilles de Ruta graveolens de la région de Zelfana- wilaya de Ghardaïa

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.