Phytochemical Analysis, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities, Minerals Element Profiling, and Identification of Bioactive Compounds by UPLC-HRMS Orbitrap in Four Aromatic and Medicinal Plants

Abstract

Four aromatic and therapeutic plants, Thymus vulgaris, Rosmarinus officinalis, Pimpinella anisum, and Foeniculum vulgare, were examined in this comparative study. The objectives were to assess its phytochemical composition; polyphenol, flavonoid, and tannin content; antioxidant and antibacterial activity; bioactive molecule identification; and critical trace element quantification. Its aqueous and organic extracts were examined, focusing on ethanolic extracts. The ethanolic extract’s ability to neutralize free radicals was validated by phytochemical studies and antioxidant tests, underscoring their role in preventing oxidative stress. An Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography—High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry Orbitrap Exploris 120 (UPLC–HRMS Orbitrap) was used to identify the bioactive chemicals, and the results showed a variety of compounds having antibacterial and antioxidant properties. The important trace elements found in these plants were also measured using a Graphite Furnace-Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (GF-AAS). These components are essential to the biological characteristics of the plants, especially their antioxidant and antibacterial capacities. Among the aqueous extracts, it was observed that Rosmarinus officinalis and Foeniculum vulgare exhibited a MIC of 3.91 µg/mL against Staphylococcus. Additionally, R. officinalis also demonstrated a MIC of 3.91 µg/mL against Escherichia coli. All of the data were interpreted and shown using principal component analysis. The results were grouped and explained using this statistical method, which revealed a strong association between the abundance of antibacterial and antioxidant chemicals in the four plants under investigation.