Bioactive constituents and in vitro antibacterial properties of Petroselinum crispum leaves, a common food herb in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Herbs used as daily food additives are good resources for novel pharmaceutical agents. The study investigated the bioactive components of cold methanol maceration extract of Petroselinum crispum leaves. Spectral analysis with GC-MS and FT-IR studies demonstrated the presence of fatty acids and steroids, with fatty acids being the predominant components. GC-MS analysis showed the presence of 13-docosenoic acid methyl ester, (Z), cis-13-docosenoic acid, cis-11-eicosenoic acid methyl ester, 11-octadecenoic acid (stearate), methyl ester, hexadecanoic acid (palmitate) methyl ester, 15-tetracosenoic acid methyl ester (Z), cyclopentanone, 3,4-bis(methylene), and stigmastan-3-ol, 5-chloro- acetate. The FT-IR analysis of the fingerprint region displayed significant peaks at 3176.08, 2949, 2173, and 1018 cm^-1, indicating the presence of aliphatic amino acids, steroidal compounds, isothiocyanates, polysaccharides, tannins and saponins. The cold methanolic extract (CME) of P. crispum produced a low spectrum of antibacterial effects against some screened human pathogenic bacteria and the phytochemical analysis of the extract revealed the presence of carbohydrates, steroids, and saponins. The extract exhibited a better spectrum of activity against Gram-negative bacteria than against Gram-positive bacteria.