Abstract
Salvia species have a cosmopolitan distribution and comprise several well-known plants valuable for pharmaceutical and food industries due to their recognized medicinal, food flavouring, and preservative properties. The present study aimed to evaluate and compare the biological activities of seven wild-growing Salvia species from the Mediterranean area (S. fruticosa, S. glutinosa, S. nemorosa, S. officinalis, S. pratensis, S. sclarea, S. verticillata). All studied ethanolic leaf extracts exhibited significant DPPH and NO radical scavenging ability, lipid peroxidation inhibition, and reducing power, as well as moderate iron-chelating properties. Together with S. officinalis and S. fruticosa, S. verticillata showed anti-acetylcholinesterase activity, while S. glutinosa was also found to possess the ability to inhibit α-glucosidase. Total flavonoid (0.37–0.90%), phenolic acid (3.55–12.44%), tannin (1.22–2.60%), and anthocyanin contents (0.03–0.08%) were determined in Salvia leaves. Rosmarinic acid was the predominant hydroxycinnamic acid in all studied sage plants, ranging from 9400 to 38,800 μg/g. The correlation study showed a strong relationship between biological activities and contents of total phenolic acids, total tannins, and rosmarinic acid, indicating their significant contribution to the efficiency of tested Salvia species. Our results highlighted Mediterranean sage plants as rich sources of potent antioxidant, neuroprotective, and hypoglycemic agents which are worthy of further research.
Highlights
IntroductionReceived: 31 December 2021Salvia L. is the largest genus of the Lamiaceae family. It comprises approximately1000 species and has a cosmopolitan distribution
Received: 31 December 2021Salvia L. is the largest genus of the Lamiaceae family
Along with other species of the mint family, the sage plants are being recognized as a promising source of polyphenols that exhibit a remarkable diversity of both chemical structures and biological activities [2,8,33]
Summary
Received: 31 December 2021Salvia L. is the largest genus of the Lamiaceae family. It comprises approximately1000 species and has a cosmopolitan distribution. Salvia L. is the largest genus of the Lamiaceae family. 1000 species and has a cosmopolitan distribution. The main speciation centres of these taxa are Central and South America, Central Asia and the Mediterranean region, and East Asia. The genus Salvia includes annual, biennial, and perennial herbs, and woody subshrubs that exhibit remarkable diversity in growth forms, floral morphology, pollination biology and secondary metabolites [1,2]. Commonly known as sage, are useful plants which have not lost their importance since ancient times. Some of them, such as S. officinalis
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