Bioactive compounds of Arctostaphylos uva-ursi wild-growing populations from Bulgaria

Abstract

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Sprengel (bearberry), Ericaceae is a valuable medicinal plant with diuretic and uroantiseptic action which is mainly due to arbutin. In Bulgaria the species is considered as rare. Content assessment of bioactive compounds of A. uva-ursi leaves from three natural populations from Bulgaria was the aim of the present study. Leaf samples were collected from Pirin, Vitosha, and Rhodope Mountains. Bioactive compounds in the methanolic extracts of the samples were analysed by GC/MS. Total phenolic content was determined using Folin–Ciocalteu reagent. Arbutin, quinic acid and gallic acid were detected in the highest amounts. Catechine, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, chlorogenic acid, triterpenes (α- and β-amyrin, uvaol and lupeol) and other primary and secondary metabolites were found, also. Differences in the content of individual compounds between samples of different origin were established. The highest total phenolic (182.98 mg GAE g-1) and arbutin (8.4%) content was found in the sample from Vitosha Mountain. The presented data characterizes the profile of bioactive compounds in the Bulgarian bearberry raw material for the first time.