In vitro hypoglycemic and antimicrobial activities of Senecio leucanthemifolius Poiret.

This study reports on the alpha-amylase inhibitory and antimicrobial activities of Senecio leucanthemifolius Poiret. Extracts of S. leucanthemifolius were tested for their antimicrobial and antifungal activities against seven different pathogenic microorganisms using the microdilution technique. The ethyl acetate extract exhibited a strong antibiotic activity against Staphylococcus aureus with a MIC value of 31.25 microg mL(-1), while the n-hexane extract showed a significant activity against dermatophytic fungi. S. leucanthemifolius extracts were tested also for their potential hypoglycemic activity through the in vitro inhibition of alpha-amylase. The dichloromethane extract inhibited alpha-amylase with a value of 56.6% at 0.05 mg mL(-1) and the n-butanol extract showed a value of 89.2% at 1 mg mL(-1).