LAUSR

This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Melissa officinalis L. extracts. In order to estimate the best conditions to extract polyphenols from the plant studied, different solvents such as hexane, acetone, and ethanol were used. The polyphenols content was estimated by the Folin–Ciocalteu method. The antioxidant activity was assessed by different methods such as ORAC test and the scavenging of free radical DPPH, while ascorbic acid was used as a control. The antimicrobial activity of M. officinalis L. was assessed by the method of disk diffusion. The results obtained showed that ethanol was the most efficient solvent for extracting polyphenols from the M. officinalis L. The ethanol extract exhibited strong antioxidant and antimicrobial activities with an EC 50 of $$18.16 \pm 0.64\,\upmu \hbox {g}/ \hbox {mL}$$18.16±0.64μg/mL and a strong inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus. The results obtained suggest that Algerian M. officinalis L. can be used as an important source of natural antioxidant and antimicrobial agent for food and pharmaceutical industries.