Metabolite Profile and Antioxidant Activity of Some Species of Genus Scutellaria Growing in Bulgaria.

Petko Denev,Desislava Teneva,Yoana Georgieva,Petko Bozov,Plamen Stoyanov,Rumen Mladenov,Evgeniy Plotnikov,Mariana Katsarova,Stela Dimitrova

doi:10.3390/plants10010045

Abstract

Until now, the interest to plants from genus Scutellaria in Bulgaria has been focused mainly on the terpenes in them. The purpose of this study is to enrich the information on the composition of the Bulgarian Scutellaria species in terms of both polyphenolic content as well as primary metabolites such as mono-, oligosaccharides and organic acids. An aerial part of three Scutellaria species growing in four low mountain regions of Southern Bulgaria was used. The flavonoids scutellarin, baicalin, baicalein, wogonin, wogonoside, luteolin, chrysin and a caffeoyl phenylethanoid glycoside-verbascoside have been identified via HPLC in different extracts from Scutellaria altissima, Scutellaria albida and Scutellaria galericulata. The antioxidant activity of the extracts has been evaluated. The Scutellaria altissima from Mezek and Scutellaria galericulata from Parvenets we studied, which are the richest in flavonoids (represented mainly by baicalin, scutellarin and wogonoside), show the highest Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity. Hydroxyl Radical Averting Capacity of Scutellaria albida from Mezek and Scutellaria altissima from Bachkovo is the most pronounced, probably due to the content of scutellarin and luteolin and chrysin, respectively. Antioxidant activity of aqueous, methanolic and 70% and 96% ethanol extracts were also determined by the electrochemical method.

Highlights

The genus Scutellaria belongs to one of the most widely used in traditional medicine and is the subject of many phytochemical studies of the plant family Lamiaceae
A comparative research has been performed of the amounts of secondary and primary metabolites in the aerial part of three species of Scutellaria growing in four lowland regions of Southern Bulgaria as follows: Scutellaria altissima from the areas of Mezek(M) and Bachkovo(B), Scutellaria albida from Mezek(M) and Asenovgrad(A) and Scutellaria galericulata from Parvenets(P)
The total polyphenolic content varies from 1353.1 ± 33.6 in S. albida(A) to 3498.5 ± 61.6 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/100 g dry wt in S. altissima(M), and the total flavonoid content from 162.0 ± 4.3 to 747.2 ± 5.8 mg quercetin equivalents (QE)/100 g dry wt in S. albida(A) and in S. galericulata(P), respectively

Summary

Introduction

Scutellaria baicalensis is one of the most well-known and best-studied species, the roots of which have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for millennia [2] Other species of this genus have been used by many cultures for treatment of hypertension, atherosclerosis, inflammatory diseases, and have shown sedative, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anxiolytic, insecticidal, and antiviral properties [1]. This activity has been proven to be mainly due to secondary metabolites, which are synthesized by plants for a protective purpose [2,3]. It is well documented that oxidative stress is involved in the etiology of a large number of human diseases, including diabetes, atherosclerosis, ischemia, neuropathological disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as the aging process [15] and natural antioxidants are being considered as prospective therapeutic agents

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