Bioactivity Potential of Aesculus hippocastanum L. Flower: Phytochemical Profile, Antiradical Capacity and Protective Effects on Human Plasma Components under Oxidative/Nitrative Stress In Vitro.

Aleksandra Owczarek,Paulina Marczuk,Monika Olszewska,Joanna Kołodziejczyk-Czepas,Katarzyna Wąsowicz,Julia Siwek

doi:10.3390/ph14121301

Abstract

Horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) flower is a traditional medicine applied to alleviate symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). However, its flavonoid-based composition has not been sufficiently recognized, and the data supporting its traditional application are lacking. In the work, 43 constituents were detected by UHPLC–PDA–ESI–TQ–MS/MS (flavonoids, phenolic acids, flavanols, and coumarins), including 31 reported in the flower for the first time. The quantitative HPLC–PDA study (developed and validated for quality control purposes) indicated the fractionated extraction as an efficient method for enhancing the total polyphenol content (TPHC) in the extracts (up to 414.06 mg/g) and kaempferol glycosides as their dominant constituents (75.05–82.14% TPHC). The activity studies showed significant scavenging properties of the extracts and their constituents towards reactive oxygen species (especially against highly reactive hydroxyl radical, with capacities up to 7.85 mmol ascorbic acid equivalents/g). Moreover, the analytes relevantly protected human plasma biomolecules from peroxynitrite-induced oxidative/nitrative damage; at 1–50 µg/mL, they hindered the protein nitration and lipid peroxidation, decreasing the levels of 3-nitrotyrosine (by up to 50%) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (by up to 70%), respectively. The extracts also averted the depletion of plasma thiols (by up to 67%) and improved the non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity of plasma. The demonstrated mechanisms might be partly responsible for the efficacy of the flower in CVI. Additionally, the anti-aggregatory and anticoagulant properties of the extracts were found only mild or negligible, which suggests that they may be safely applied with drugs impacting the coagulation process.

Highlights

Horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum L.) is a large deciduous tree, originating from small areas of the Balkan Peninsula but nowadays spread widely throughout the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere [1]
Most of the phenolic acids and flavanols were found in the plant material for the first time, while the information concerning flavonol derivatives, the main active flower components, was significantly broadened
The fractionated extraction was for the first time applied to selectively extract the active polyphenols from the plant material and obtain the polyphenol-enriched fractions with increased biological capacity

Summary

Introduction

Horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum L.) is a large deciduous tree, originating from small areas of the Balkan Peninsula but nowadays spread widely throughout the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere [1]. It owes its popularity mainly to its ornamental value and medicinal properties. Among plant tissues applied in official and traditional medicine are the seed, bark, and flower of horse chestnut. All the plant materials are prescribed in chronic venous disorders, lower leg varicose veins, and hemorrhoids; they differ, in terms of composition and potential mechanism of action [2]. The most recognized and studied is the seed, containing a mixture of triterpenoid saponins, escin, which is responsible for the seed’s clinical effects, mainly due to potent 4.0/).

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