PECULIARITIES OF WILLOW (Salix alba) BARK MINERAL COMPOSITION

Abstract

Willow bark is highly valuable in medicine, different branches of industry and ecology. In this respect antioxidants and minerals distribution between bark tissues seems to be highly valuable. Using ICP-MS mineral composition of willow bark cambium, phloem and periderm was determined for the first time. Predominance of P, K and Ca was recorded for cambium characterized by intensive metabolism. On the contrary, periderm demonstrated the highest concentrations of all heavy metals, except Ni, Al and As, and the highest coefficients of variation compared to phloem and cambium, especially for Al (107.5%), Pb (112.2%), V (133.3%), and Sn (90.9%). Though trace elements also prevail in periderm, low coefficient of variation between tissues indicates the importance of Fe, Mn, B, Zn, Cu and Mo in plants growth. Among tissues studied cambium recorded the highest antioxidant activity with relatively similar values of polyphenol content compared to periderm and phloem data. The results prove high prospects of willow bark cambium utilization as a valuable source of antioxidants and trace elements and of periderm as a natural adsorbent. KEYWORDS: willow bark, periderm, phloem, cambium, antioxidants, minerals.