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Volume 15
Issue 23
10.3390/app152312813
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Potential of Malva neglecta Wallr. Extracts Prepared by “Green” Solvents

by
Neli Memdueva
1,
Toncho Dinev
1,
Plamena Staleva
2,3,
Mariana Kamenova-Nacheva
2,3,
Zvezdelina Yaneva
4,
Nikolina Rusenova
5,
Neli Grozeva
1,
Stela Ginin
1 and
Milena Tzanova
1,*
1
Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Trakia University, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
2
Research and Development and Innovation Consortium, Sofia Tech Park JSC, 111 Tsarigradsko Shose blvd., 1784 Sofia, Bulgaria
3
Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., bl. 9, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
4
Department of Pharmacology, Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Chemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Trakia University, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
5
Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Trakia University, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(23), 12813; https://doi.org/10.3390/app152312813
Submission received: 6 November 2025 / Revised: 29 November 2025 / Accepted: 2 December 2025 / Published: 3 December 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Chemical and Molecular Sciences)
Review Reports Versions Notes

Abstract

The medicinal plant Malva neglecta Wallr. is known for its high concentration of beneficial bioactive compounds. This study investigated extracts prepared from the plant’s flowers, leaves, and roots. Different green solvents were used: 70% ethanol, and for the first time in relation to this plant species, natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES)—one based on choline chloride and citric acid (NADES1) and another using choline chloride and glycerol (NADES2). Key bioactive compounds were identified and quantified using spectrophotometric assays and HPLC-PDA-MS profiling to determine their role in the plant’s antioxidant activity. The analysis revealed that M. neglecta contains a wide range of flavonoid glycosides and phenolic acids, with the flowers and leaves exhibiting the highest diversity and concentrations of these compounds with a predominance of quercetin and kaempferol glycosides. Among the solvents tested, the ethanolic extracts showed the highest total contents of phenols, flavonoids, and condensed tannins. The flower extracts—regardless of the solvent used—exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity, as demonstrated by the DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS assays. Alkaloids were detected in all organs tested only in low quantities. The antibacterial (against Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and antifungal activity (against Penicillium chrysogenum, Fusarium oxysporum, Aspergillus parasiticus, A. carbonarius, A. niger, A. flavus, and A. ochraceus) of the extracts was evaluated and compared. As a whole, the NADES1 extracts exhibited higher antibacterial potential than the ethanolic extracts. Such a clear trend regarding the antifungal activity was not observed. The highest antifungal activity was exhibited by NADES1 root extracts. NADES2 extracts showed a complete lack of antimicrobial effects.
Keywords: Malva neglecta Wallr.; ethanol; natural deep eutectic solvents; HPLC-PDA-MS; antimicrobial activity; antioxidants Malva neglecta Wallr.; ethanol; natural deep eutectic solvents; HPLC-PDA-MS; antimicrobial activity; antioxidants

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MDPI and ACS Style

Memdueva, N.; Dinev, T.; Staleva, P.; Kamenova-Nacheva, M.; Yaneva, Z.; Rusenova, N.; Grozeva, N.; Ginin, S.; Tzanova, M. Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Potential of Malva neglecta Wallr. Extracts Prepared by “Green” Solvents. Appl. Sci. 2025, 15, 12813. https://doi.org/10.3390/app152312813

AMA Style

Memdueva N, Dinev T, Staleva P, Kamenova-Nacheva M, Yaneva Z, Rusenova N, Grozeva N, Ginin S, Tzanova M. Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Potential of Malva neglecta Wallr. Extracts Prepared by “Green” Solvents. Applied Sciences. 2025; 15(23):12813. https://doi.org/10.3390/app152312813

Chicago/Turabian Style

Memdueva, Neli, Toncho Dinev, Plamena Staleva, Mariana Kamenova-Nacheva, Zvezdelina Yaneva, Nikolina Rusenova, Neli Grozeva, Stela Ginin, and Milena Tzanova. 2025. "Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Potential of Malva neglecta Wallr. Extracts Prepared by “Green” Solvents" Applied Sciences 15, no. 23: 12813. https://doi.org/10.3390/app152312813

APA Style

Memdueva, N., Dinev, T., Staleva, P., Kamenova-Nacheva, M., Yaneva, Z., Rusenova, N., Grozeva, N., Ginin, S., & Tzanova, M. (2025). Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Potential of Malva neglecta Wallr. Extracts Prepared by “Green” Solvents. Applied Sciences, 15(23), 12813. https://doi.org/10.3390/app152312813

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