Unraveling the phytochemical complexity and antimicrobial potency of introduced versus native Argania spinosa trees in Eastern Morocco

Argania spinosa is a well-known evergreen tree in Morocco and worldwide due to its significant ecological value, economic potential, and therapeutic uses. In this study, native and introduced Argan trees from two locations in Morocco (Oujda and Chouihiya) were compared for their chemical composition and in vitro antimicrobial activity. The sensitivity of different bacterial and fungal strains to Argan extracts was tested using the agar diffusion, agar well, and microdilution methods. The findings of the present study indicate that each extract from the different studied parts of the Argan tree contained a distinct amount of several compounds of considerable interest, including rutin, catechin, quercetin, and cinnamic acid, the major compound was Quercetin with a value of 18.12 mg/100g DW while the minor was trans Chalcon with a concentration of 0.01 mg/100G DW. The lowest MIC values and MBC value against bacterial strains were recorded by leaf extracts from Oujda against K. pneumoniae with a value of 2.5 mg/mL. The lowest MIC observed for fungal strains was registered against Geotrichum sp with a value of 5 mg/ml. The outcomes from this work further support that Argan and its derivatives have a promising future in combating microbial problems.