Morphophysiological, biochemical, and antibacterial activity of Iranian wild mallow (Malva sylvestris L.) populations

Malva sylvestris L., a member of the Malvaceae family, is widely used in pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries due to its rich phenolic and flavonoid content. In this study, plant samples from three habitats of western Iran were collected in ۲۰۲۴ to evaluate their morphophysiological and phytochemical traits. Morphological traits included chlorophyll a, fresh weight, and dry weight, while biochemical parameters encompassed total phenols, total soluble sugars, and flavonoids. The analysis of variance revealed significant differences among populations. Kermanshah exhibited the highest levels of total soluble sugars (۵۱۷.۲۴ g/L), flavonoids (۰.۱۷ µg/L), and relative leaf water content (۷۹.۳۷%). Heatmap analysis grouped Kermanshah separately from Kangavar, Asadabad, and Hamedan. Correlation analysis showed strong positive relationships between fresh and dry weight (r = ۰.۹۹۹**), sugars and flavonoids (r = ۰.۹۵۷**), and fresh weight and RWC (r = ۰.۸۷۷*). Principal component analysis indicated that the first two components explained ۹۳.۸% of the total variation. Additionally, the well diffusion assay demonstrated that M. sylvestris extracts had strong antibacterial activity against S. aureus and E. coli, with the highest inhibition zones (up to ۱۴.۲۵ mm) observed at ۳۰ mg/mL from Asadabad. Notably, E. coli showed greater sensitivity than S. aureus in some cases, suggesting an influence of plant origin and bacterial strain.

کلیدواژه ها:

Malva Sylvestris ، Agronomic Traits ، Biochemical traits ، Diversity ، Antibacterial Activity