Phytochemical Screening and Antioxidant Activity of Seven Native Species Growing in the Forests of Southern Chilean Patagonia.

Merly De Armas-Ricard,Harold Sanhueza,Rodrigo Pérez-Vidal,Oney Ramírez-Rodríguez,Cristina Mayorga-Lobos,Francisco Quinán-Cárdenas

doi:10.3390/molecules26216722

Abstract

The genus Nothofagus is one of the most abundant in the subantarctic Patagonian forests. Five species inhabit these ecosystems, three evergreen (Nothofagus betuloides, Nothofagus dombeyi, and Nothofagus nitida) and two deciduous (Nothofagus pumilio and Nothofagus antarctica). This is the first report on the levels of secondary metabolites and the antioxidant capacity of Patagonian tree species growing in natural environments. The aim of this work was to carry out a phytochemical screening, to determine the antioxidant capacity, the sun protection factor, and the α-glucosidase and tyrosinase inhibitory activity of foliar extracts of the five previous species. Besides, Aristotelia chilensis and Berberis microphylla, two species of Patagonian shrubs growing in the same forests, were used as reference. N. dombeyi was the Nothofagus with the best antioxidant capacity. B. microphylla differed from all studied species. Moreover, the Nothofagus was split into two groups. N. betuloides and N. dombeyi are the most similar species to A. chilensis. The α-glucosidase was completely inhibited by all studied extracts. Furthermore, N. antarctica, N. pumilio, and N. nitida inhibited about 70% of the tyrosinase activity. All the results found in this study for the species of the genus Nothofagus support further research on their potential beneficial properties for human health.

Highlights

Patagonia is a geographical region located at the southern end of South America
Among the Nothofagus species, the deciduous and N. nitida show the lowest Total Phenolic Content (TPC), while N. betuloides and N. dombeyi have the highest level of polyphenols
Our results suggest that the foliar extracts of B. microphylla, A. chilensis, N. dombeyi, N. antarctica, and N. betuloides have potential use as sunscreens, because, even at low concentrations, a protective effect is detected

Summary

Introduction

Patagonia is a geographical region located at the southern end of South America. This region is the closest to Antarctica, being the only landmass in these southern latitudes. Western Patagonia or Chilean Patagonia has a great variety of climates, varying from the rainy on the Pacific coast to the steppes on the border with Argentina. This variation in rainfall results in two different forest formations, an evergreen forest on the Pacific Ocean coast and a deciduous forest inland. A little less than half of its surface (41%) is included within the system of protected wild areas (National Parks and National Reserves)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion