Abstract
•Antimicrobial activities T. gallica are a function of organs and concentrations.•Flowers are distinguished by the best antimicrobial activities, mainly at 300mg/mL.•Flower and leaf extracts present a bacteriostatic effect.•Five flavonoids were identified in flowers and 6 ones in leaves.
Microbial contaminations and resistance to antibiotics suggest us to explore the traditional medicine, mainly by discovering new natural products from plants like Tamarix genus. In the present work, the antimicrobial activities of Tamarix gallica leaves and flowers were assessed. Results showed that flower extracts have the highest antibacterial activity especially against Micrococcus luteus (zi=25mm). This organ is also distinguished by the best antifungal activities especially against Candida glabrata (zi=14.67mm) and Candida albicans (zi=14.33mm). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were identical for all samples except for C. albicans (MIC=0.292mg/mL). Regarding the minimal bactericidal concentrations (MBCs), results showed concentrations superior to 37mg/mL using leaf extracts and 18mg/mL using flower ones. Thereby, flower and leaf extracts showed a bacteriostatic effect. The phytochemical tests by LC-ESI-TOF-MS demonstrated the presence of five flavonoids in flower extracts, including quercetin and kaempferol. However, the extract from leaves showed the existence of 6 compounds including quercetin 3-O-glucuronide. These data suggest that T. gallica could be a promising source of natural products in the field of functional foods and nutraceutical industries.