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Screening of Nasturtium officinale Extracts for

Biological Activities: Implications for Plant Pathogens
a a ab ac
Özlem Darcansoy Iseri , Didem Aksoy Körpe , Feride Iffet Sahin & Mehmet Haberal
a
Institute of Transplantation and Gene Sciences, Baskent University, 06980, Ankara-Turkey
b
Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Baskent University, 06570, Ankara-
Turkey
c
Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Baskent University, 06490, Ankara-Turkey
Published online: 04 Mar 2014.

To cite this article: Özlem Darcansoy Iseri, Didem Aksoy Körpe, Feride Iffet Sahin & Mehmet Haberal (2014) Screening
of Nasturtium officinale Extracts for Biological Activities: Implications for Plant Pathogens, Journal of Biologically Active
Products from Nature, 4:1, 19-28, DOI: 10.1080/22311866.2014.886962

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 TBAP 4 (1) 2014 pp 19 - 28 19
ISSN Print: 2231-1866
ISSN Online: 2231-1874

Screening of Nasturtium officinale Extracts for

Biological Activities: Implications for Plant Pathogens

Özlem Darcansoy Iseri 1, Didem Aksoy Körpe 1, Feride Iffet Sahin 1,2, Mehmet Haberal 1,3

1
Institute of Transplantation and Gene Sciences, Baskent University, 06980, Ankara-Turkey
Downloaded by [University of Southern Queensland] at 02:18 09 October 2014

2
Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Baskent University, 06570, Ankara-Turkey
3
Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Baskent University, 06490, Ankara-Turkey
Received 08 November 2013; accepted in revised form 12 December 2013

Abstract: Nasturtium officinale (Brassicaceae) is a succulent, rhizomatous perennial aquatic weed,

and naturally found in Turkey. The aim of the present study was to screen biological activity of leaf (L), root
(R), and seed extracts (S). Extracts were prepared using methanol (MetOH) and water (dw). Total phenol
contents were; Ldw>LMetOH>SMetOH>RMetOH>Sdw>Rdw. DPPH· scavenging activities were;
Ldw>LMetOH>SMetOH>Rdw>RMetOH>Sdw. Extracts were tested on 11 food-borne and 5 plant-borne strains
for antibacterial activity which were; LMetOH(15/16)>RMetOH(3/16)>L-Rdw (2/16)>SMetOH-dw (1/16).
All strains tested were susceptible to LMetOH (7.6<IZ<12.3 mm) except for the Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Highest activity was against Klebsiella pneumoniae and Shigella spp. (MIC: 1024 μg.mL-1). Listeria
monocytogenes was also susceptible to RMetOH and Rdw (MIC: 2048 μg.mL-1). LMetOH, RMetOH, and
Rdw had high antibacterial activity against Xanthomonas vesicatoria, with MIC of 256 and 512 μg.mL-1,
respectively. LMetOH was also effective against Pseudomonas tomato and Erwinia caratovora (MIC: 1024
μg.mL-1). Considering eco-safety and effectiveness, antibacterial activities of plant extracts would be important
in phytopathogen control.

Key words: Watercress, food-borne pathogens, phytopathogens, free radical scavenging, phenol
content.

Introduction locally in Black Sea Region especially in salads.

Nasturtium R. Br. (Brassicaceae), a genus of
five plant species in the family Brassicaceae
(cabbage family). Members of the Brassicaceae
are horticultural important crop plants, and highly
consumed vegetables 1, 2. Brassicaceae is best
known for the edible Nasturtium microphyllum
and Nasturtium officinale (watercress).
Nasturtium officinale is a succulent, rhizomatous
perennial aquatic weed, and naturally found in
Turkey (1000-2000 m above sea level). In Europe
and USA, it is consumed as a vegetable in salads,
soups, and other recipes. In Turkey, it is consumed
The entire plant is used in home remedies for the
treatment of diabetes, bronchitis, asthma,
influenza, used as disinfectant, diuretic, expecto-
rant, hypoglycemic, odontalgic, and for digestive
aids, and is externally applied as a hot compress
for wound healing 3-6.
Plant-derived compounds comprise diverse
biological activities with different mechanisms
of actions. Some studied biological activities of
different parts of N. officinale has anti-mitotic,
anticancer, and antiestrogenic effects 7. Gill et
al. 8 reported that watercress supplementation in

*Corresponding author (Özlem Darcansoy Iseri)

E-mail: < odiseri@baskent.edu.tr, oiseri@gmail.com > © 2013, Har Krishan Bhalla & Sons
 Özlem Darcansoy Iseri et al., / TBAP 4 (1) 2014 19 - 28
diet was shown to reduce lymphocyte DNA
damage and to alter blood antioxidant status in
healthy adults. In addition, fresh watercress was
shown to modulate the SOD and GPX enzymes
in blood cells in vitro and in vivo 9. Induction of
some detoxification enzymes in hepatocellular
carcinoma cells have also been reported 10.
Screening of plants which are used as
traditional remedies increase the chance of
finding new bioactive formulations. Ethno-
pharmacological and ethnobotanical studies have
suggested that the medicinal plants can have
Downloaded by [University of Southern Queensland] at 02:18 09 October 2014
considerable antibacterial effect 11, 12, 13. According
to the World Health Organization, a medicinal
plant is plant which, in one or more of its organs,
contains substance that can be used for
therapeutic purposes, or which are precursors for
chemo-pharmaceutical semi-synthesis. Plant
species that are currently use for medicinal
purposes are about 20,000. So it is important to
screen antibacterial potential of different plant
species and organs, either in the form of crude
extracts or as components isolated from them.
We have previously, identified high
antibacterial activity of Urtica spp. seed extracts
on both food and plant pathogenic bacteria 14. In
the light of our previous findings, we investigated
antibacterial effects of leaf (L), root (R) and seed
extracts (S) of Nasturtium officinale in the present
study with particular implications for plant patho-
genic bacteria. Aqueous and methanol extracts
were also evaluated for their total phenol content
and free radical scavenging activity.
Materials and methods
Plant material and extraction
Nasturtium officinale was collected from Rize,
Turkey in between July and September (2010).
Voucher specimens were identified by Assoc.
Prof. Dr. Evren Cabi (Department of Biology,
Namik Kemal University, Tekirdag, Turkey), and
stored as herbarium materials. Plants were also
cultured from seeds in the Greenhouse of Institute
of Transplantation and Gene Sciences, Baskent
University (Kazan-Ankara, Turkey). Dry leaves,
roots, and seeds were powdered by using a coffee
blender. Powder (10 g) was mixed with 100 mL
of pure methanol (MetOH; Merck, Darmstadt,
20
Germany), and incubated for 24 h at room
temperature (dark) with continuous shaking. For
aqueous extraction, 10 g of dried material was
mixed with 100 mL of distilled water (dw), and
incubated for 1 h at 70°C water bath (dark) with
continuous shaking. Solutions were filtered
(Whatman No. 40), and the filtrates were
lyophilized by using a freeze-dryer at -50°C,
0.50hPa (LyoPro 3000, Thermo Scientific Heto,
Allerod, Denmark). Dry material was recovered
in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO; Sigma-Aldrich,
St. Louis, MO, USA) and dw for MetOH and
aqueous extracts, respectively. Extracts were
stored at -20°C.
Analysis of total phenols (TP) in the extracts
The Folin-Ciocalteu method was used to assay
total phenols 15, 16. Two microliters of sample (0.05
g.mL-1), 50 μL Folin’s Reagent (Sigma-Aldrich),
and 300 μL 10 % (w/v) sodium carbonate (Sigma-
Aldrich) were sequentially added to 1 mL assay
mixture, and the mixture was incubated at 40°C
water bath for 30 min. The absorbance was
measured at 765 nm, and the amount of total
phenols were represented as mg gallic acid
(Sigma-Aldrich) equivalents (GAE) per g extract
using gallic acid calibration curve (R2>0.9).
Assays were performed as triplicate experiments.
DPPH radical scavenging assay (DRSA)
Electron donation ability of extracts was
measured according to decoloration of purple
colored free radical solution of DPPH 17. Three
milliliters of serial extract dilutions (3.125-1600
mg.mL-1) were mixed with 1 mL 200 mM MetOH
solution of DPPH· (Sigma), vortexed and
incubated at room temperature (dark) for 30 min.
The absorbance was measured at 517 nm.
Inhibition of DPPH· was calculated as Eq.1:
DPPH radical scavenging activity (DRSA, %) =
[(Acontrol-Asample) / Acontrol)] × 100 Eq.1
where Acontrol is the absorbance of the control
and Asample is the absorbance of the samples
containing extracts and standards. Inhibitory
concentration 50 (IC 50 ) of extracts were
calculated from trend lines of DRSA versus
 Özlem Darcansoy Iseri et al., / TBAP 4 (1) 2014 19 - 28
sample concentration plots (R2>0.9). Butylated
hydroxytoluene (BHT; Sigma-Aldrich), L-
ascorbic acid (AscA; Sigma-Aldrich), and α-
tocopherol (α-Toc; Sigma-Aldrich) were used as
controls in the assays. Assays were performed as
triplicate experiments.
Antibacterial activities
Test strains
Standard and isolated strains of bacteria used
to test antibacterial activities of the extracts are
given in Table 1. Bacteria were obtained from
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21
Disc-diffusion assay
The stock solutions of extracts were diluted to
a final concentration of 22.5 mg.mL -1 with
distilled water, and filter sterilized by 0.45 μm
Millipore filters. Disc-diffusion method 19 was
followed by spreading 100 μL of 0.5 McFarland
standard turbid cell suspensions on MH agar. The
discs of 6 mm in diameter were impregnated with
20 μL of 22.5 mg.mL-1 extract solutions (450 μg
per disc). The DMSO concentrations in the 22.5
mg.mL-1 diluted extract solutions were 18 % (v/
v) at most, and below 10 % (v/v) for most of the

the stock cultures of Department of Medical
Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Baskent
University (Ankara, Turkey) and Department of
Plant Protection, Çukurova University (Adana,
Turkey). The bacterial stock cultures were
maintained on Mueller Hinton (MH) (Oxoid CM
337, Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK) agar at 4°C.
Before the assay, food-borne and plant-borne
strains were grown overnight at 37°C and 48 h at
27°C, respectively in MH broth.
Table 1. Bacterial strains tested
extracts. So, 20 % (v/v) DMSO was tested as
solvent control. Ampicillin (Amp; 10 μg per disc),
tetracycline (Tet; 30 μg per disc), gentamicin
(Gent; 10 μg per disc), and sulbactam + cefopera-
zone (Sul+Cef; 50+50 mg per disc) were used as
positive reference standards. The plates were
incubated at 37°C for 24 h for food-borne
bacterial strains, at 27°C for 48 h for plant-borne
isolates. Antibacterial activity was evaluated by
measuring the zone of inhibition (IZ) in mm for

Food-borne pathogens Strain

Escherichia coli ATCC 25922

Enterococcus gallinarum
Enterococcus faecalis
Streptococcus pyogenes
Staphylococcus aureus
Listeria monocytogenes
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Klebsiella pneumoniae
Proteus vulgaris
Shigella spp.
Bacillus pumilus
Plant-borne pathogens
Clavibacter michiganensis
subsp. michiganensis
Pseudomonas tomato
Xanthomonas vesicotoria
Erwinia caratovora
Erwinia amylovara
CDC-NJ-4
ATCC 29212
ATCC 19615
ATCC 33591
ATCC 7644
ATCC 27853
Clinical isolate, Baskent University Hospitals
Clinical isolate, Baskent University Hospitals
Clinical isolate, Refik Saydam Hygiene Institute
Zea mays isolate M118
Erd-Cmm; L. esculentum isolate; Erdemli, Mersin;
Çukurova University, Department of Plant Protection
Erd-Pst; L. esculentum isolate; Erdemli, Mersin; Çukurova
University, Department of Plant Protection
Krs-Xav; C. annum isolate; Karaisali, Adana; Çukurova
University, Department of Plant Protection
Khs-Ecc; L. esculentum isolate; Kocahasanli, Mersin;
Çukurova University, Department of Plant Protection
Poz-Ea; P. communis L. isolate Pozantý, Adana; Çukurova
University, Department of Plant Protection
 Özlem Darcansoy Iseri et al., / TBAP 4 (1) 2014 19 - 28
each strain. All assays were performed in
quadrates.
Micro-well dilution assay
The minimal inhibition concentrations (MIC)
were studied for the extracts and strains which
had 7 mm< IZ according to disc-diffusion assays.
Two hundred microliters of 2048 μg.mL-1 extracts
in MH broth were dispensed into the 3rd column
of 96-well plates, and serial 100 μL 2-fold
dilutions were performed to 4 μg.mL-1. First two
columns served as medium and cell controls.
Plates were inoculated with 100 μL of cell
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22
DPPH in methanol solution in the presence of a
hydrogen donating antioxidant due to the
formation of the nonradical form DPPH-H which
is measured spectrophotometrically. LMetOH,
Ldw and SMetOH extracts had higher DRSA with
lower IC50 in comparison to other extracts (Table
2). IC50 (DRSA) of standards; AscA, BHT, and
α-Toc were 5.9 μg.mL -1 ± 0.3 μg.mL -1, 12.6
μg.mL-1 ± 0.5 μg.mL-1, and 5.3 μg.mL-1 ± 0.5
μg.mL-1, respectively.
Antibacterial activities

Table 3 demonstrates the disc-diffusion results.

suspension per well containing 5 μL of 0.5
McFarland standard turbid fresh bacterial
cultures. Plates were incubated at previously
mentioned conditions, and optical density was
measured at 600 nm with an ELISA reader
(Biotek Instrument ELx800, VT, USA). The MIC
was defined as the lowest concentration to inhibit
90 % of bacterial growth. MIC was confirmed
by inoculating 5 μL samples from clear wells on
MH agar.
Results
Total phenol content of the extracts
Total phenols content of the extracts are given
in Table 2 in terms of mg gallic acid equivalents
per g extract. Total phenolic content of extracts
were Ldw>LMetOH>SMetOH>RMetOH>
Sdw>Rdw.
DPPH radical scavenging activity (DRSA)
Free radical scavenging activity (FRSA) of the
plant extracts have been performed using DPPH
radical. Method is based on the reduction of
Leaf methanol extract had activity against all
food-borne pathogens tested except for the P.
aeruginosa. Similarly it was effective against 4
plant-borne pathogens out of 5 strains tested
(except for the C. michiganensis). Highest
activity was obtained against K. pneumoniae in
all strains tested. Aqueous leaf extract was effec-
tive against E. feacalis and S. pyogenes among
all strains tested. Aqueous and methanol extracts
of the leaves were effective only against C. michi-
ganensis among all strains tested. L. mono-
cytogenes and X. vesicatoria was susceptible to
methanol extracts of leaf and root, and aqueous
extract of root.
DMSO had no effect on the strains tested at its
solvent concentration. Lowest MICs determined
were 1024 μg.mL -1 for K. pneumoniae and
Shigella spp. among food-borne pathogens tested
(Table 4). MIC of methanol extracts of leaf and
root, and aqueous extract of root for X. vesivatoria
growth were 256 and 512 μg.mL -1. MICs of
methanol leaf extract were 1024 μg.mL-1 for P.
tomato and E. caratovora.

Table 2. Total phenols (TP) and IC50 of free radical

scavenging activity (DRSA) of the extracts

Extracts Solvent TP(mg GAE/g extract) μg/mL)

IC50 DRSA(μ

Leaf MetOH 51.9 ± 2.3 34.0 ± 0.6

dw 60.9 ± 5.5 27.3 ± 1.2
Seed MetOH 43.7 ± 6.2 62.9 ± 6.0
dw 14.8 ± 1.1 769.0 ± 15.0
Root MetOH 20.2 ± 1.5 628.6 ± 21.9
dw 12.3 ± 1.2 510.3 ± 8.9
 Özlem Darcansoy Iseri et al., / TBAP 4 (1) 2014 19 - 28 23
Table 3. Results of disc diffusion assay

N. officinale (IZ; mm) Antibiotics (IZ; mm)

Leaf Seed Root
Food-borne Met dw Met dw dw Met Amp Tet Gent Sul+Cef
(10 μg) (30 μg) (10 μg) (50+50 μg)

E. coli 7.7 - - - - - 18.3 27.5 25.8 34.5

E. gallinarum 8 - - - - - 26.5 11.3 23.5 23.0
E. faecalis 8.3 9.3 - - - - 28.0 17.0 19.3 18.3
S. pyogenes 9.3 7.8 - - - - 25.0 11.5 22.0 21.8
S. aureus 7.8 - - - - - 23.8 13.8 9.5 32.0
Downloaded by [University of Southern Queensland] at 02:18 09 October 2014

L. monocytogenes 10.5 - - - 10.5 10.5 27.8 31.0 30.0 31.0

P. aeruginosa - - - - - - 18.5 33.5 26.8 28.8
K. pneumoniae 12.3 - - - - - - 17.5 25.8 29.0
P. vulgaris 7.6 - - - - - - 19.0 25.8 31.3
Shigella 9.8 - - - - - 30.0 32.5 29.8 30.8
B. pumilus 9.8 - - - - - 33.0 32.5 32.0 31.5
Plant-borne
C. michiganensis - - 7 7 - - - 65.5 34.9 58.8
P. tomato 10.5 - - - - - - 47.3 38.3 38.0
X. vesicotoria 10.9 - - - 9.5 9.7 9.3 50.5 34.3 43.0
E. caratovora 11.0 - - - - - - 44.3 31.5 30.5
E. amylovara 7.6 - - - - 9.3 15.0 40.3 25.3 40.5

Table 4. Results of micro-well dilution assay

N. officinale (MIC; μg/mL)

Leaf Seed Root Antibiotic
Food-borne Met dw Met dw dw Met (MIC; μg/mL)

E. coli 2048< - - - - - 16 (Amp)

E. gallinarum 2048< - - - - - 32 (Amp)
E. faecalis 2048< 2048< - - - - 16 (Amp)
S. pyogenes 2048< 2048< - - - - 8 (Amp)
S. aureus 2048 - - - - - 16 (Amp)
L. monocytogenes 2048 - - - 2048 2048 <0.125 (Amp)
P. aeruginosa - - - - - - 16 (Sul+Cef)
K. pneumoniae 1024 - - - - - 0.5 (Sul+Cef)
P. vulgaris 2048< - - - - - 0.5 (Sul+Cef)
Shigella spp 1024 - - - - - 0.5 (Amp)
B. pumilus 2048< - - - - - 0.25 (Amp)
Plant-borne
C. michiganensis - - 2048< 2048< - - 2 (Sul+Cef)
P. tomato 1024 - - - - - 8 (Sul+Cef)
X. vesicotoria 256 - - - 512 512 1 (Sul+Cef)
E. caratovora 1024 - - - - - 8 (Sul+Cef)
E. amylovara 2048< - - - - 2048 32 (Sul+Cef)
 Özlem Darcansoy Iseri et al., / TBAP 4 (1) 2014 19 - 28
Discussion
Plants are potential sources of natural bioactive
compounds such as secondary metabolites and
antioxidants. Bioactive compounds are diverse
in chemical structure. Bioactivity of several
edible plant parts such as fruits, vegetables,
flowers, leaves, and roots have been identified
so far. The secondary metabolites from plants
have been reported to be potent free radical
scavengers. The formation of free radicals may
be inhibited by reducing hydroperoxides and
hydrogen peroxide, and by sequestering metal
Downloaded by [University of Southern Queensland] at 02:18 09 October 2014
ions through complexation/chelation reactions.
Radical scavenging action is dependent on both
reactivity and concentration of the antioxidant 20.
Flavonoids and phenolic acids are the most
important groups of secondary metabolites and
bioactive compounds in plants 21. Phenols are
found in all parts of plants such as leaves, fruits,
seeds, roots and bark 22. Plant polyphenols, a
diverse group of phenolic compounds (such as
flavonols, anthocyanins, phenol acids) possess an
ideal structural chemistry for free radical
scavenging activity. Antioxidative properties of
polyphenols arise from their high reactivity as
hydrogen or electron donors from the ability of
the polyphenol derived radical to stabilize and
delocalize the unpaired electron (chain-breaking
function) and from their potential to chelate metal
ions (termination of the Fenton reaction) 23. Many
studies have shown good positive correlation
between antioxidant capacity and total phenol
content of spices, medicinal herbs, and other
dietary plants 24. Previously, fresh N. officinale
leaves were determined as good sources of
antioxidants, with high content of polyphenol,
derivatives of quercetin and kaempferol, and
vitamin C 25. A hundred gram of fresh watercress
leaves contained 43 mg of vitamin C, 4700 IU of
vitamin A, and 34 mg of α-tocopherol 24. The
main compounds of the oil of leaves were
myristicin (57.6 %), α-terpinolene (8.9 %), and
limonene (6.7 %) 26. Water and ethanol extracts
of watercress leaves were also determined as
antioxidants against lipid peroxidation in linoleic
acid, liver, brain and kidney homogenate model
systems 6.
In our study, phenol content of the extracts were
24
well correlated to DPPH• scavenging activity (R2
= 0.86). DPPH• scavenging activity of the leaf
extracts were comparable to activity of natural
and synthetic antioxidants, and considerably
higher than the root extracts and aqueous seed
extract. The DPPH• scavenging activity of the
plant extracts appears to be depending on the
concentration of phenols, and their electron
transfer/hydrogen donating ability. To our
knowledge, antioxidant activity of the roots and
seeds has not been studied so far.
Watercress is an excellent source for
glucosinolates 27. The hydrolysis products of
glucosinolates include isothiocyanates, nitriles,
epithionitriles and thiocyanates. The types of
compounds produced are specific to the
respective glucosinolates present in the tissue 28,
29
. Glucosinolate hydrolysis products, in parti-
cular, isothiocyanates are effective inhibitors the
Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogenic
bacterial growth 30. Antimicrobial activity of
isothiocynates has been related to the inactivation
of extracellular enzymes through oxidative
cleavage of disulfide bonds, and the formation
of the reactive thiocyanate radical was proposed
to mediate the antimicrobial effect 31. In addition,
high antimicrobial effect of phenol compounds
has also been discussed in terms their ability to
alter microbial cell permeability, membrane
function, and interaction with membrane proteins,
causing deformation in structure and function-
ality, although the exact mechanism of action is
not clear yet 32.
Antibacterial activity of extracts were LMetOH
(15/16)>RMetOH (3/16)>L and Rdw (2/16)>S
MetOH and dw (1/16) (Table 3). Higher
antibacterial activity of leaf extracts may depend
primarily on the variations in composition of
bioactive molecules of leaves, including phenol
compounds and glucosinolate compounds.
Higher antibacterial activity of the leaf methanol
extract in comparison to aqueous extract, on the
other hand, primarily depends on the difference
of bioactive molecules extracted by polar/non-
polar solvents.
Food-borne diseases are one of the major
worldwide problems, and prevention of food
spoilage, caused by many bacteria such as E. coli,
 Özlem Darcansoy Iseri et al., / TBAP 4 (1) 2014 19 - 28
Enterobacter spp. Bacillus spp., S. aureus, K.
pneumonia, and L. monocytogenes have industrial
importance 33. Recently, considerable interest has
been given to plant extracts for controlling
pathogens, and toxin producing bacteria in foods.
According to MIC values, Aligiannis et al. 34 have
reported a classification of plant extracts; strong
inhibition: MIC<500 μg.mL-1, moderate inhi-
bition: 600 μg.mL-1<MIC<1500 μg.mL-1, and low
inhibition: 1600 μg.mL-1<MIC.
Concordantly, results obtained with K.
pneumonia, Shigella spp., and even L. mono-
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cytogenes seem to be promising, and to our
knowledge no such data exist considering N.
officinale and these species so far. Nonetheless,
n-hexane, ethanol and aqueous leaf extracts of
N. officinale, was shown to exert antibacterial
activity against S. aureus, B. subtilis, and P.
aeruginosa 35. Interestingly, leaf extract of N.
officinale was also shown to exhibit anti-
mycobacterial activity against the sensitive and
resistant M. tuberculosis (MIC = 100 μg.mL-1)
36
, and seed extracts against M. bovis (MIC = 500
μg.mL-1) 37.
The control of bacterial diseases of crops is a
considerable agricultural problem due to the
limited availability of bactericidal agents. Use of
antibiotic and copper compounds is very
restricted in many countries, for either human and
animal health or the environment 38. Secondly,
phytopathogenic bacteria spread at long distances
by contaminated and infected seeds. In addition,
resistant populations of E. amylovora, Pseudo-
monas spp., and Xanthomonas campestris have
been determined 39.
X. vesicatoria is the causal agent of bacterial
spot disease, and has a wide range of hosts
especially of Solanaceaous plants including
tomato and pepper. Disease causes considerable
crop loss, and persistent on seeds. In our study,
methanolic leaf extract exerted high antimicrobial
activity against X. vesicatoria with a MIC of 256
μg.mL-1. In addition, both methanol and aqueous
extracts of the root had antimicrobial activity
(MIC = 512 μg.mL-1). Other pthytopathogens, P.
tomato and E. caratovora, are the causative
agents of bacterial soft rot and bacterial speck
disease in tomato leaves. Methanol extract had
25
antibacterial activity against these bacteria with
MIC = 1024 mg.mL-1. Antibacterial activity of
these extracts on plant pathogens are classified
as strong inhibition (X. vesicotoria) and moderate
inhibition (P. tomato and E. caratovora) based
on the classification of Aligiannis et al. 34. Plant
originated antibacterial compounds, due to their
non-toxic eco-friendly nature, can be an alter-
native approach to plant disease management.
Potential use of the plant derived extracts may
be as seed protectants and disinfectants,
particularly for the seed-borne and transmitted
bacterial diseases. According to a study of Kotan
et al. 40, Satureja spicigera essential oil, carvacrol
and thymol were more effective than strepto-
mycin sulfate according to seed disinfection
assays conducted with P. tomato, X. vesicotoria
and C. michiganensis infected tomato and pepper
seeds. Interestingly, Balestra et al. 41 performed
in vivo antibacterial tests of A. sativum and F.
carica extracts with P. tomato, X. vesicotoria and
C. michiganensis inoculated tomato plants, and
observed disease control at 15 days post-
inoculation. In both studies MIC for the extracts
and assay concentrations seem to be higher when
compared to our results. To our knowledge, this
is the first report demonstrating the antibacterial
activity of watercress on phytopathogenic
bacteria, and considering low MIC results
obtained with the extracts have potential for
further research and application on seed
disinfection.
The results presented here enable comparative
evaluation of total phenol content, DPPH•
scavenging and antibacterial activity of methanol
and aqueous N. officinale extracts of leaves, roots
and seeds. Though, studies of chemical content
analysis are required; this study gives a
preliminary but comprehensive insight to
bioactive potential of N. officinale. Considering
limited availability of bactericidal agents in plant
disease control, antibacterial activities of plant
extracts are important for development of bio-
organic agriculture practices.
Acknowledgements
Authors acknowledge Department of Medical
Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Baskent
 Özlem Darcansoy Iseri et al., / TBAP 4 (1) 2014 19 - 28 26
University for lyophilization process. Assoc. Prof. Faculty of Medicine, Baskent University. Dr.
Dr. Evren Cabi is greatly acknowledged for Mehlika Benli is also greatly acknowledged for
identification of voucher specimens. Phyto- her contributions. This study was approved by
pathogen strains were generous gift of Prof. Dr. Baskent University Institutional Review Board
Yesim Aysan, and food-borne strains were (Project no: DA10/17), and supported by Baskent
donated by Department of Medical Microbiology, University Research Fund.

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