Antimicrobial Profile of Moldovan <em>Cynara scolymus</em> L.: Insights into Its Natural Antibiotic Potential

Artichoke, a medicinal plant with various therapeutical uses, is widely cultivated in many world geographical areas. The aim of this study was to establish the antimicrobial profile by means of comparative evaluation of the phytochemical constituents , antioxidant, anti-lipid peroxidation and antimicrobial activities of the basal and cauline leaves, as well as the by-products: stems, bracts, inflorescences from Cynara scolymus L. cultivated in the Republic of Moldova. Qualitative and quantitative characterization of the main phenolic compounds from ethanolic extracts was carried out by the HPLC-UV-MS method. The in vitro antioxidant activity was evaluated using DPPH˙, ABTS˙+, FRAP and NO˙ scavenging methods. Lipid lowering effect was establish with malonic dialdehyde complex and thiobarbituric acid. Antimicrobial properties were screened using diffusion method. The HPLC UV-MS analysis highlighted that green aerial parts of C. scolymus are characterized by the presence of five phenolic acids (kaempferol, gentisic, chlorogenic, p-coumaric, ferulic and caffeic) and four flavonoid heterosides and aglycones (isoquercitrin, quercitrin, luteolin and apigenin). Correlation between total polyphenolic content and antioxidant activity was found to be statistically significant (p&lt;0.01). The extracts of C. scolymus aerial parts exhibited significant antibacterial and antifungal activities, (p&lt;0.05) against all tested microorganisms, while no inhibitory effect for inflorescences was observed. Artichoke leaves and by-products may be considered important and promising sources of bioactive compounds for herbal medicinal products, functional foods and nutraceuticals, due to their antimicrobial properties.