Abstract
Objectives. Thymus species, T. vulgaris, T. serpyllum, T. comosus and T. glabrescens, are medicinal plants from the spontaneous Romanian flora used for their antibacterial, antispasmodic, expectorant, anti-inflammatory, anthelmintic properties, especially the plant products obtained from T. vulgaris. The aim of this study was to comparatively investigate the polyphenolic composition, as well as the in vitro antioxidant activity of some ethanolic extracts obtained from the aerial parts of thymus sp. Materials and methods. The polyphenols, flavonoids, phenolic acids and tannins contents in the four samples thymus sp. ethanolic extracts were spectrophotometrically determined. The identification of the most important polyphenolic compounds was performed by the method of thin layer chromatography method (TLC). The antioxidant activity of hydroalcoholic extracts was evaluated in vitro by the DPPH method. Outcomes. Following the analyzes performed, it can be revealed that there are both qualitative and quantitative differences in the polyphenolic composition of the four species of thyme studied, the richest in active principles being T. vulgaris and T. serpyllum. Conclusions. In this paper it has been shown that thyme species are medicinal plants rich in antioxidant polyphenolic active principles, and their use for the treatment of certain diseases can be justified. In addition to the officinal species: T. vulgaris, T. serpyllum, other thyme species from the spontaneous flora of our country can be used in phytotherapy, such as: T. comosus, T. glabrescens.
Highlights
Thymus species (Lamiaceae family) are aromatic medicinal plants widespread in the Romanian flora and are rich sources of bioactive principles [1,2,3,4]
In addition to the officinal species: T. vulgaris, T. serpyllum, other thyme species from the spontaneous flora of our country can be used in phytotherapy, such as: T. comosus, T. glabrescens
Preliminary thin layer chromatography method (TLC) separation and identification of polyphenolic compounds in the thymus ethanolic extracts were performed using the chromatographic system with silica gel as stationary phase and the corresponding mobile phase: ethyl acetate:acetic acid: formic acid: water (100:11:11:26)
Summary
Thymus species (Lamiaceae family) are aromatic medicinal plants widespread in the Romanian flora and are rich sources of bioactive principles [1,2,3,4]. Of this research was the chemical and biological analysis of some vegetal raw materials from the four species of thyme (Thymus species: T. vulgaris, T. serpyllum, T. comosus and T. glabrescens) in the Romanian spontaneous flora, compared to some commercial thyme teas available on the Romanian market, in order to evaluate the quality of commercial products
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
