Biological activity exhibited by secondary metabolites of the Albizia julibrissin Durazz. pod

In present work, the chemical composition of the petroleum ether extract (PE) and the ethyl ether extract (ETE) of Albizia julibrissin Durazz Pod and their biological activity were investigated, and the biodegradation relationship between with these chemical composition were discussed. The components of the two extracts were identified by GC and by GC-MS. ETE showed a higher level of antimicrobial activity than PE, which were judged by the disc diffusion method of determination of the minimal inhibitory concentration and the minimal bactericidal concentration. The antioxidant properties of the extracts were evaluated by the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, the auto-oxidation of pyrogallol test, and compared with those of the butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). The results showed that the antioxidant activity of ETE was higher than that of PE (p < 0.01) and lower than that of BHT (p > 0.01) in the DPPH radical scavenging assay. However, in the auto-oxidation of pyrogallol test, the antioxidant activity of PE was higher than that of ETE (p < 0.01) and lower than that of BHT (p < 0.01). Because components of the A. julibrissin pod were found to have biological activity, the pod has a potential use against industrially troublesome microorganisms as a natural source of raw material for the preparation of an antioxidant and a biocide.