Abstract
Scarce information about the phenolic composition of Scabiosa atropurpurea L. is available, and no carotenoid compounds have been reported thus far. In this study the phenolic and carotenoid composition of this plant was both investigated and associated bioactivities were evaluated. Aiming to obtain extracts and volatile fractions of known medicinal plants to valorize them in the pharmaceutical or food industries, two techniques of extraction and five solvents were used to determine the biologically active compounds. Gas chromatography coupled to flame ionization and mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography coupled to photodiode array and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry highlighted the presence of 15 volatiles, 19 phenolics, and 24 natural pigments in Scabiosa atropurpurea L. stem samples; among them, the most abundant were 1,8-cineole, chlorogenic acid, cynaroside, and lutein. Bioactivity was assessed by a set of in vitro tests checking for antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, and allelopathic (against Brassica oleracea L. and Lens culinaris Medik) effects. Scabiosa atropurpurea L. stem extracts presented a considerable antioxidant, antibacterial, and allelopathic potential, with less antifungal effectiveness. These results indicate that the volatile fractions and extracts from S. atropurpurea L. stem could be considered as a good source of bioactive agents, with possible applications in food-related, agriculture, and pharmaceutical fields. Genetic investigations showed 97% of similarity with Scabiosa tschiliensis, also called Japanese Scabiosa.
Highlights
Extracts and essential oils recovered from plants have been described as a good natural reservoir, harboring bioactive secondary metabolites, with wide use in cosmetic, food, and pharmaceutical industries
The chemical profile and biological activities of the two volatile fractions and the four extracts from S. atropurpurea L. stem are reported for the first time
The ethanol extract yielded the highest number of phenolic compounds, while the dichloromethane extract yielded the highest number of pigment compounds
Summary
Extracts and essential oils recovered from plants have been described as a good natural reservoir, harboring bioactive secondary metabolites, with wide use in cosmetic, food, and pharmaceutical industries. They present a diversity of chemical structures, which are unsurpassed by the synthetic libraries. Many instrumental techniques have been developed to give prompt information, which is the main choice for profiling complexes, especially for extracts and essential oils Among these techniques, liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) turned out to be the most selected technique to identify bioactive compounds of extracts, providing corresponding phenolic and pigment profiles.
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