Antioxidant and Antimicrobial activity of Pedicularis sibthorpii Boiss. And Pedicularis wilhelmsiana Fisch ex.

Purpose: This research paper presents antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Pedicularis sibthorpii and Pedicularis wilhelmsiana which grow in Azerbaijan/Iran with claimed a lot of therapeutic effects. Methods: DPPH assay and agar well diffusion method were carried out to determine antioxidant and antimicrobial activities respectively. Results: Methanolic extract showed better antioxidant activity compared to other crude extracts (n-hexane and dichloromethane). Methanolic extracts of both Pedicularis sibthorpii and Pedicularis wilhelmsiana were found to have antibacterial activity especially against gram positive strains of S. ureus, S.epidermidis. No antifungal activity was observed in the tested extracts. Conclusion: Existence of some phenolic compounds in methanolic extracts, such as phenylethanoids and flavonoids (found in other species of Pedicularis), which cause both antioxidant and antibacterial activities, is probable. Antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of the methanolic extracts supports further studies related to phytochemical investigation and bioassay of different fractions to isolate pure compounds of plants.