Comparative Study on Phytochemical Profile and Antioxidant Activity of an Epiphyte, Viscum album L. (White Berry Mistletoe), Derived from Different Host Trees.

Mahak Majeed,Atif A Bamagoos,Tanveer Bilal Pirzadah,Reiaz Ul Rehman,Manzoor Ahmad Mir,Hesham F Alharby,Khalid Rehman Hakeem,Hameed Alsamadany

doi:10.3390/plants10061191

Abstract

The study aimed at evaluating the antioxidant profile of a medicinal epiphyte Viscum album L. harvested from three tree species, namely, Populus ciliata L, Ulmus villosa L., and Juglans regia L. The crude extracts were obtained with ethanol, methanol, and water and were evaluated for the total phenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activities using total reducing power (TRP), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 1, 1-diphenyl 1-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH), superoxide radical scavenging (SOR), and hydroxyl radical scavenging (•OH) assays. Our results showed that crude leaf extracts of plants harvested from the host Juglans regia L. exhibited higher yields of phytochemical constituents and noticeable antioxidative properties. The ethanolic leaf samples reported the highest phenols (13.46 ± 0.87 mg/g), flavonoids (2.38 ± 0.04 mg/g), FRAP (500.63 ± 12.58 μM Fe II/g DW), and DPPH (87.26% ± 0.30 mg/mL). Moreover, the highest values for TRP (4.24 ± 0.26 μg/mL), SOR (89.79% ± 0.73 mg/mL), and OH (67.16% ± 1.15 mg/mL) were obtained from aqueous leaf extracts. Further, Pearson correlation was used for quantifying the relationship between TPC, TFC, and antioxidant (FRAP, DPPH, SOR, OH) activities in Viscum album L. compared to their hosts. It was revealed that the epiphyte showed variation with the type of host plant and extracting solvent.

Highlights

Over the ages, plants have been known as vital natural reservoirs of secondary metabolites and as such, extensive efforts are being directed toward the research and development of phytomedicines comprising flavonoids, vitamins, alkaloids, tannins, and terpenoids as key therapeutic agents for the treatment of various metabolic diseases that have been ascribed to their indispensable biological activities such as detoxification of toxic enzymes, inhibition of cellular damage, regulation of gene expression, and antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory actions [1,2,3]
Most of the beneficial roles played by natural antioxidants in maintaining human health resulted from their reducing potential in quenching free radicals such as reactive oxygen or nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) due to their hydrogen donating tendency and preventing the oxidative damage of cells caused by the action of free radicals [6]
We investigated the phytochemical and antioxidant potential of stems, leaves, and berries of Viscum album L. harvested from Populus ciliata L., Ulmus villosa L., and Juglans regia L. and extracted in three solvents: ethanol, methanol, and water

Summary

Introduction

Plants have been known as vital natural reservoirs of secondary metabolites and as such, extensive efforts are being directed toward the research and development of phytomedicines comprising flavonoids, vitamins, alkaloids, tannins, and terpenoids as key therapeutic agents for the treatment of various metabolic diseases that have been ascribed to their indispensable biological activities such as detoxification of toxic enzymes, inhibition of cellular damage, regulation of gene expression, and antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory actions [1,2,3]. Most of the beneficial roles played by natural antioxidants in maintaining human health resulted from their reducing potential in quenching free radicals such as reactive oxygen or nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) due to their hydrogen donating tendency and preventing the oxidative damage of cells caused by the action of free radicals [6]. The phytochemical investigation conducted on the plant revealed some important therapeutic agents, namely, viscin, viscotoxin, saponins, flavonoids, acetylcholine, lectins, mucilage ascorbate, and tocopherol [21,22,23]

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Discussion

Conclusion