Abstract
The sterile stems belonging to the Equisetum species are often used in traditional medicine of various nations, including Romanians. They are highly efficient in treating urinary tract infections, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory tract infections, and medical skin conditions due to their content of polyphenolic derivatives that have been isolated. In this regard, this study aimed to provide the chemical composition of the extracts obtained from the Equisetum species (E. pratense, E. sylvaticum, E. telmateia) and to investigate the biological action in vitro and in vivo. For the chemical characterization of the analyzed Equisetum species extracts, studies were performed by using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC-DAD). In vitro evaluation of the antioxidant activity of the plant extracts obtained from these species of Equisetum genus was determined. The neuroprotective activity of these three ethanolic extracts from the Equisetum species using zebrafish tests was determined in vivo. All obtained results were statistically significant. The results indicate that E. sylvaticum extract has a significant antioxidant activity; whereas, E. pratense extract had anxiolytic and antidepressant effects significantly higher than the other two extracts used. All these determinations indicate promising results for the antioxidant in vitro tests and neuroprotective activity of in vivo tests, particularly mediated by their active principles.
Highlights
The Horsetails (Equisetaceae) are one of the oldest groups of vascular plants
The presence of the following polyphenolic derivatives in the two types of extracts obtained from the three investigated Equisetum samples was confirmed by the liquid chromatography technique: chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, as well as glycosylated derivatives of quercetin and luteolin
The ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) analysis of methanolic and ethanolic extracts revealed the presence of the following components: chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, neochlorogenic acid, epicatechin, quercetin, quercetin-3-glucoside, luteolin, luteolin-7-glucoside, apigeninglucoside, and kaempferol
Summary
The Horsetails (Equisetaceae) are one of the oldest groups of vascular plants. Despite the small size of the family and a limited number of morphological characters, most species of horsetails are characterized by very high morphological variability [1]. Research in the past decades has shown an increased interest in phytochemical products and plant extracts, due to frequent use in the prevention and treatment of some diseases. Several studies have demonstrated that the antioxidants found in plants are of major interest to medicine since they protect the organism against oxidative stress, generated in the context of some diseases: atherosclerosis, ischemic cardiac disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, aging, and even in infectious diseases [4,5,6]. Other lab data confirmed the traditional uses of medicinal and aromatic plants
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