Phytochemical Analysis and Biochemical Analysis of Washingtonia filifera Fruits and Seeds

The investigation of antibacterial activities of natural plants is a potential guide for treating infectious diseases. Many years from now on, roots, fruits, seeds or leaves of natural plants have been used for medicinal agents. Therefore, natural plants have a wide range of pharmacological and biological activities such as antimicrobial, diuretics and anti-inflammatory functions. The main benefit of using natural sources is to decrease the side effects of synthetic drugs which are used for treatments. The aim of this research is to investigate antibacterial activities and antioxidant activities of Washingtonia filifera (California Desert Palm) seeds and fruits. The antibacterial activity of seeds and fruits were tested against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) pathogenic bacteria. The antioxidant activity was tested with ABTS+ radical scavenging activity assay and DPPH scavenging activity assay. The Washingtonia filifera was chosen as an investigation plant because there is no research or investigation yet about W. filifera’s antibacterial activities, antioxidant activities and its medicinal effects. The other reason is that W. filifera is found in most of the cities or villages in Cyprus. So, it is the plant that can be found easily and if there is any antibacterial activity or antioxidant activity, the plant can be used as a natural source for treatment of some diseases. Thus, this result may lead to design a new drug with using W. filifera seeds and fruits.