Distribution of Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Activity in Plant Parts and Populations of Seven Underutilized Wild Achillea Species.

Lina Raudone,Liudas Ivanauskas,Jolita Radušiene,Fatih Yayla,Cüneyt Cırak,Mindaugas Marksa,Fatih Seyis,Gabrielė Vilkickyte

doi:10.3390/plants11030447

Abstract

Evaluation of phytochemical composition of underutilized Achillea species provides the primary selection of germplasms with the desired quality of raw material for their further applications. The aim of the study was to evaluate the comprehensive distribution patterns of phenolic compounds in seven wild Achillea spp. and their plant parts, and to assess their antioxidant activity. Plant material was collected from different sites in Turkey. A complex of hydroxycinnamic acids, flavonols and flavones was identified and quantified in methanolic extracts using HPLC-PDA method. Antioxidant activity was assessed by radical scavenging assay. The results showed that qualitative and qualitative profiles of caffeoylquinic acids and flavonoids were species-specific, explaining the characteristic patterns of their variation in the corresponding species and plant parts. The highest total amount of caffeoylquinic acids was detected in A. setacea. A. arabica exposed the highest accumulation of mono-caffeoylquinic acids and flavonoids with the greatest levels of quercetin and luteolin derivatives and the flavonol santin. Santin was detected in all plant parts of A. cappadocica, A. setacea, A. santolinoides subsp. wilhelmsii, and A. arabica. A notable antiradical capacity was confirmed in A. arabica, A. setacea and A. cappadocica plant extracts. The leaves of all studied species were found to have priority over inflorescences and stems in terms of radical scavenging activity. The new data complemented the information that may be relevant for the continuation of chemophenetic studies in the heterogeneous genus Achillea.

Highlights

This article is an open access articleThe increasing trend in use of natural products or natural product derivatives is leading to a growing demand for standardized, homogeneous raw materials in industry, which means that more and more wild species have been domesticated and systematically cultivated
The study for the first time reported the fingerprinting of phenolic compounds of areal plant parts of seven Achillea spp. together with pronounced antiradical activity of their extracts
Profiles of Achillea spp. and plant parts differed in the prevalence of individual caffeoylquinic acids and flavonoids

Summary

Introduction

The increasing trend in use of natural products or natural product derivatives is leading to a growing demand for standardized, homogeneous raw materials in industry, which means that more and more wild species have been domesticated and systematically cultivated. Cultivated plant material has a number of advantages over wild harvest, in particular reliable botanical identification, a narrow genetic range, and the quality control and standardization of materials can be adapted to the regulations and consumer preferences [1]. The assessment of phytochemical composition of wild plant raw material sources is the reason of the primary selection of economically important medicinal plant germplasms with the desired quality of raw material for their further domestication and cultivation. The use of Achillea spp. is highly important in Persian and Anatolian folk herbal medicines for the treatment of various disorders [5]. Despite the great diversity of Achillea spp., only A. millefolium L., commonly known as “yarrow”, is worldwide recognized as a medicinal raw material

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