Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities in the different extracts of Caspian saffron, Crocus caspius Fisch & C. A. Mey. ex Hohen.

Nowadays it is very desirable to investigate and discover new antibacterial and antioxidant agents from natural products and medicinal plants. The current study was conducted to examine the antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of an endemic plant named Caspian saffron, Crocus caspius. After collecting C. caspius and drying them in the shade, ethanol, methanol and hydroalcohol extracts were prepared using maceration method. The amount of phenols and flavonoids measured in this study 2, 2_diphenyl-1_picrylhdrazyl (DPPH) test and disc diffusion method were used to evaluate antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, respectively. According to the results, phenols and free radical scavenging capacity were at highest level in the hydroalcoholic extract and flavonoids at highest level in the ethanol extract. More antioxidant activity of extracts was obtained in the higher concentrations. The highest amount of inhibitor for antimicrobial activity was in methanol extract using Candida albicans. The results indicated the potentiality of C. caspius extract to use as bio-preservatives and antimicrobial agents. However, further investigations are needed in the future in this regard.