High phenolics and antioxidants of some tropical vegetables related to antibacterial and anticancer activities

Phytochemicals play an important role in the decrease risk of free radicals associated diseases. In the present study, total phenolic contents, antioxidant, antibacterial and anticancer activities of thirty Thai vegetables have been evaluated. The results showed that phenolic contents of Thai vegetables were highly correlated with total antioxidant activities. Four vegetables in strains of Spondias pinnata Kurz., Careya sphaerica Roxb., Caesalpinia mimosoides Lamk. and Cratoxylum Subsp. Pruniflorum (Kurz.) Gogel. with high phenolic contents and total antioxidant activities, have strong antibacterial activities againstStaphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium and Eschericia coli. Although, the extracted samples were non-cytotoxic as confirmed on the normal Vero cells, only C. mimosoides Lamk. extract had inhibitory effect on oral cavity cell line (IC50 27.17 ± 5.44 µg/ml). Thus, this study suggested that some vegetables can be considered as possible therapeutic agents.   Key words: Antibacterial, antioxidant, anticancer, phenolic contents, vegetables.