Pharmaco-botanical Study of Some Halophytic Plants of Georgia

Salinization threatens a growing proportion of arable land worldwide, making halophytic plants valuable sources of stress-adapted bioactive metabolites. The aim of this study was to investigate the polyphenolic profile and antioxidant activity of halophytic species from Lake Kumisi in Eastern Georgia – Petrosimonia brachiata, P. triandra, P. glaucescens and Gamanthus pilosus – in order to evaluate their pharmacological potential. Aerial parts were collected from the saline shores of Lake Kumisi in three phenological stages (pre-flowering, flowering and fruiting). Seventy percent ethanol extracts were prepared and analysed by GC–MS and LC–MS-DAD. Total phenolic content was determined using the Folin–Ciocalteu method and expressed as gallic acid equivalents (mg GAE/g DW), while total flavonoids were evaluated spectrophotometrically with the aluminium chloride method and expressed as quercetin equivalents (mg QE/g DW). Antioxidant activity was assessed by the DPPH radical scavenging assay, calculating inhibition percentages and IC₅₀ values.
The chromatographic profiles revealed a rich composition of terpenoids, phytosterols and polyphenols, including β-sitosterol, phenolic acids and quercetin-type flavonoids. Total phenolic content ranged from approximately 10 to 25 mg GAE/g, with the highest value in flowering P. triandra. Total flavonoid content varied between 6.6 and 18.8 mg QE/g and accounted for about 60–75% of total phenolics, particularly in P. brachiata and P. triandra. In the DPPH assay, radical scavenging activity reached 45–90%, whereas IC₅₀ values ranged from 30 to 130 µg/mL. The lowest IC₅₀ values, indicating the strongest antioxidant activity, were recorded for flowering samples of P. brachiata and P. triandra, while G. pilosus showed comparatively weaker effects. A clear positive correlation was observed between total polyphenolic content and DPPH scavenging capacity.
These findings demonstrate that halophytic species inhabiting the saline ecosystems of Lake Kumisi are phytochemically rich sources of natural antioxidants and represent promising candidates for further phytochemical isolation, pharmacological evaluation and potential application in medicinal and nutraceutical preparations.