Determination of the biological activities and extraction of natural components of Senecio vernalis Waldst. & Kit.

Chloroform, methanol and hexane extracts of the above-ground parts of the Senecio vernalis (Asteraceae) plant were separated into fractions by chromatographic methods and their biological activities were determined. The content of fractions was determined by spectral methods. The antimicrobial activities of the extracts were measured against 10 different microorganisms (Klebsiella pneumoniaee AATC 13883, Escherichia coli ATCC 36218, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027, Enterobacter aerogenes ATCC 13048, Bacillus megaterium DCM32, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633, Yarrowia lipolytica, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans ATCC 10231) by disk diffusion method. The totally applied methanol and hexane extracts and KAE5 extract were determined to be active against tested bacteria. There were no significant changes observed in root and stem lengths of germinated plant seeds after applying the extracts. However, in the genomic stability test, KAE5 extract has caused 39% decrease in Hordeum vulgare genome. On the other hand, Amaranthus retroflexus seeds were found to be more resistant than Hordeum vulgare. The antioxidant activities of extracts were performed by their DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging activities. The chemical contents of the extracts were analyzed by GS-MS and the phenolic ones by HPLC. The extracts showed lower activity against ABTS radical than the control. No significant change was observed in the DPPH test. It was determined that phenolic contents, which may cause antioxidant activity, consisted of Myrisetin, Absisic acid and Curcumin, which have found for low concentration.