Radical Scavenging, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity of Paeonia peregrina Mill., Paeonia mascula (L.) Mill. and Paeonia officinalis (L.)

This study aimed to investigate the potential of three Paeonia species, Paeonia peregrina Mill., Paeonia mascula (L.) Mill., and Paeonia officinalis L., as sources of natural antioxidants and antimicrobials. Different parts of the plant were extracted with solvents of varying polarities and the extracts were subjected to various tests to determine their total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, antiradical activity, potential antioxidant activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power, superoxide anion radical and hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity and microbial activity. Paeonia Officinalis was found to have the best antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. The results demonstrated that P. officinalis is a rich source of polyphenolic compounds with higher antioxidant and antimicrobial potential compared to P. peregrina and P. mascula.     The ethyl acetate extract of P. officinalis showed the highest levels of phenolic content (62.45 mg GAE/g DW) and antioxidant potential as well as the strongest antimicrobial activity against various microbial strains. Ethyl acetate extract of P. officinalis effectively inhibited all of the examined bacteria and the fungus; however, it had a stronger impact on Gram-negative bacteria than it did on Gram-positive bacteria. The highest activity was observed against the Gram-negative pathogen P. aeruginosa with an inhibitory zone of 24 mm.  Pearson correlation analysis revealed different correlations for the three Paeonia species in different extracts and plant parts. Overall, the study highlights the potential of P. officinalis as a source of natural antioxidants and antimicrobials.