Antioxidant and Mitochondria-Targeted Activity of Caffeoylquinic-Acid-Rich Fractions of Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium L.) and Silver Wormwood (Artemisia ludoviciana Nutt.).

Justina Kamarauskaite,Vida Motiekaityte,Rasa Baniene,Rimanta Vainoriene,Sonata Trumbeckaite,Gabriele Vilkickyte,Lina Raudone

doi:10.3390/antiox10091405

Abstract

Caffeoylquinic acids are some of the chemophenetically significant specialized metabolites found in plants of the family Asteraceae Dumort., possessing a broad spectrum of biological activities. As they might be potential mitochondria-targeted antioxidants, effective preparation methods—including extraction, isolation, and purification of caffeoylquinic acids from plant sources—are in great demand. The aim of this study was to fractionate the caffeoylquinic acids from cultivated wormwood (Artemisia absinthium L.) and silver wormwood (Artemisia ludoviciana Nutt.) herb acetone extracts and evaluate their phytochemical profiles, antioxidant activity (radical scavenging and reducing activities), effects on kidney mitochondrial functions, and cytochrome-c-reducing properties. The main findings of our study are as follows: (1) Aqueous fractions purified from wormwood and silver wormwood herb acetone extracts are rich in monocaffeoylquinic acids (chlorogenic acid, neochlorogenic acid, 4-O-caffeoylquinic acid), while methanolic fractions purified from wormwood and silver wormwood herb acetone extracts are rich in dicaffeoylquinic acids (4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 3,4-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid). Aqueous fractions purified from wormwood and silver wormwood herb acetone extracts were solely composed of monocaffeoylquinic acids. Methanolic fractions purified from wormwood and silver wormwood herb acetone extracts contained only dicaffeoylquinic acids. (2) Fractions purified from silver wormwood herb acetone extracts stood out as having the greatest content of caffeoylquinic acids. (3) The greatest radical scavenging activity was determined in the dicaffeoylquinic-acid-rich fraction purified from silver wormwood herb acetone extract; the greatest reducing activity was determined in the dicaffeoylquinic-acid-rich fraction purified from wormwood herb acetone extract. (4) The effect of both fractions on mitochondrial functions was dose-dependent; lower concentrations of caffeoylquinic-acid-rich fractions had no effect on mitochondrial functions, whereas higher concentrations of caffeoylquinic-acid-rich fractions reduced the state 3 respiration rate (with the complex-I-dependent substrate glutamate/malate). (5) Both monocaffeoylquinic- and dicaffeoylquinic-acid-rich fractions possessed cytochrome-c-reducing properties; the greatest cytochrome c reduction properties were determined in the dicaffeoylquinic-acid-rich fraction purified from wormwood herb acetone extract. In summary, these findings show that caffeoylquinic acids might be beneficial as promising antioxidant and cytochrome-c-reducing agents for the modulation of mitochondria and treatment of various mitochondrial-pathway-associated pathologies.

Highlights

Artemisia L. (Asteraceae Dumort.) is a tribe of small herbs and shrubs distributed in the northern temperate areas [1]
As historical background is increasingly coupled with modern research, more scientific-based evidence is emerging that supports the pharmacological effects of diverse compounds present in the phytochemical profile of the species [6]
This study evaluated the antioxidant activity as well as the effect on kidney mitochondria and the cytochrome c reduction potential of the bioactive caffeoylquinic-acid-rich fractions extracted from cultivated wormwood and silver wormwood

Summary

Introduction

Artemisia L. (Asteraceae Dumort.) is a tribe of small herbs and shrubs distributed in the northern temperate areas [1]. Antiviral [3], antiparasitic, antifungal [4], nematicidal, and insecticidal properties, which generally contribute significantly to the safeguarding of the plant [5,6] These biological effects are due to the extremely rich phytochemical composition of the genus Artemisia, which contains a body of phytochemical compounds of different chemical origins—namely, essential oil components (e.g., γ-terpinene, 1,4-terpeniol, trans-thujone, etc.), organic acids, resins, tannins, and a great profile of phenolic compounds [7]. Caffeoylquinic acids formed as ester molecules by the combination of caffeic acid and (−)-quinic acid [8] are characteristic compounds of the Asteraceae family [9,10]; they possess antioxidant, antibacterial, anticancer, antihistaminic, and other biological effects [11,12]. Effective procedures of preparation for caffeoylquinic acids—including their extraction, isolation and purification from plant sources—are in great demand

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