Antioxidant Activity and Flavonoid Content of Matricaria Chamomilla Extracts from Different Populations of Iran

Abstract

Matricaria chamomilla is a valuable medicinal plant belonging to the Asteraceae family. Its medicinal and pharmaceutical impacts are correlated to major flavonoid compounds like apigenin. In this investigation, methanolic extracts of M. chamomilla inflorescence gathered from six natural populations were evaluated for their phytochemical content and antioxidant activity. The content of total flavonoid and phenol modified from 3.72 to 7.94 mg g-1 DW and 1.37 to 3.51 mg g-1 DW, respectively. Flavonoid compositions revealed significant differences among six populations, and the highest apigenin (1.27 % (w/w)) and apigenin-7-glucoside (0.86 %(w/w)) contents were recognized in MD populations, respectively. Both PCA and Pearson's correlation analyses revealed total phenol, flavonoid, apigenin and apigenin-7-glucoside were negatively correlated with the IC50 of DPPH activity and EC50 of reducing power. Altitude and precipitation indicated the positive and negative effects on phytochemical contents, respectively. These results can provide a theoretical basis for getting the targeted antioxidant phytochemicals of M. chamomilla for pharmaceutical and food industries, and also give a science for selection of the best population for cell culture and secondary metabolite production in future.