Phytochemical and Biological Study of Calycotome villosa

Algeria covers an area of 2,381,741 km² and is the largest country in Africa. Algeria is bordered to the north by the Mediterranean Sea, to the south by Mali and Niger, to the west by Morocco, Western Sahara, and Mauritania, and to the east by Tunisia and Libya. The Seraïdi region, located 13 km west of Annaba, has remarkable floral biodiversity, with cryptogamic, herbaceous, shrubby, and arboreal strata. This floral assemblage includes various species of pharmaceutical interest. Calycotome (Calycotome villosa), commonly known as El-guendoul, belongs to the Fabaceae family and is a species rich in secondary metabolites, which are the active ingredients in many medicines. Among the pharmacological properties of this species are hypotensive, diuretic, and vasodilatory activity. This study seeks to evaluate the antimicrobial and antifungal potential of its methanolic extract and to assess the link between these properties and the polyphenolic compound content. Thus, phytochemical screening was carried out on the aerial part of the plant, namely the leaves.