Chemical analysis and evaluation of anti-microbial activities of extracts from aerial and underground parts of Algerian Echinops spinosus

Infections caused by pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses continue to pose a significant public health challenge. The increasing resistance to conventional antibiotics and antifungal agents underscores the urgent need for the discovery of new sources of antimicrobial substances.

Algeria, owing to its extensive land area and biogeographical position, is home to an extraordinary floral and ecological diversity, featuring over 3,000 plant species belonging to numerous botanical families. Among these, approximately 15% are endemic and remain largely unexplored from a phytochemical and pharmacological standpoint.

In the context of valorizing Algerian flora, a chemical analysis of the aerial parts (stems, leaves, flowers) and subterranean parts (roots, rhizomes) of Echinops spinosus was undertaken in the El-Hadjeb region of Biskra. The aim of this research was to characterize the chemical compounds present in this plant and to determine their potential as antimicrobial agents.

The analysis of the aerial and underground parts of the plant revealed the presence of various chemical groups, such as alkaloids, quinones, coumarins, saponosides, tannins, polyphenols, flavonoids, and reducing sugars. The results indicate the chemical richness of this plant and its potential for the discovery of bioactive compounds with therapeutic interest.

To assess the antimicrobial activity of the extracts, we employed the agar diffusion method, testing various reference bacterial strains such as Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella abony, as well as the fungal strains Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger. The results demonstrated resistance in some microbial strains and sensitivity in others. The chloroform extract obtained by maceration of the aerial part showed good microbial activity (sensitivity of the tested microbial strains), in contrast to the chloroform extract from the underground part, which exhibited low activity. These results confirm the therapeutic potential of Echinops spinosus as an antimicrobial agent, thereby opening new possibilities for its use in medicine and pharmacology.

Keywords: Echinops spinosus, secondary metabolites, phytochemical analysis, antimicrobial activity.