Abstract
Context: The widespread use of Pistacia atlantica Desf. ssp. (Anacardiaceae) in traditional medicine can be partly attributed to the content of its secondary metabolites, in particular, the phenolic compounds. Objective: The effects of harvest period, growing region and gender on the phenolic compounds, flavonoids and condensed tannins contents were studied, as well as on the antioxidant activities of P. atlantica leaves in order to provide a scientific basis for optimal collection. Materials and methods: Leaves were collected monthly from April to October 2010 in two Algerian sites. The powdered leaves were used for preparing the ethyl acetate extract. Contents of total phenolics (TPC), flavonoids (FC) and condensed tannins (CTC) were determined spectrophotometrically. Antioxidant activity was evaluated through radical scavenging activity (RSA) of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (250 μM) and the reducing power capacity (RPC) determination by K3Fe(CN)6 (1%). Results: The TPC was found to vary from 79 ± 13 to 259 ± 8 mg gallic acid equivalents/g of dry weight (DW) during the study period. The RSA and RPC varied between 262 ± 18 and 675 ± 21 mg Ascorbic Acid Equivalent (AAE)/g DW, and from 259 ± 16 to 983 ± 20 mg AAE/g DW, respectively. A seasonal pattern was observed consisting of a decrease in TPC content and RPC from spring to autumn. The FC, CTC and RSA did not show a seasonal pattern. Discussion and conclusion: Our findings showed that secondary metabolite content and antioxidant activities of P. atlantica leaves were more influenced by harvest time and growing region than by gender.
Highlights
The use of synthetic antioxidants is currently under reconsideration because of their potential toxicological risks (NievaEchevarrıa et al 2015)
Our findings showed that secondary metabolite content and antioxidant activities of P. atlantica leaves were more influenced by harvest time and growing region than by gender
Our finding showed that the lack of correlation between flavonoid content (FC) and the reducing power, and between FC and DPPH may be linked to the assumption that most of the flavonoids in P. atlantica leaves were in their glycoside forms (Mosharrafa et al 1999) and less effective compared to their aglycone forms (Anwar et al 2013)
Summary
The use of synthetic antioxidants is currently under reconsideration because of their potential toxicological risks (NievaEchevarrıa et al 2015). Researchers are seeking for natural antioxidants originating from plants, which have a greater benefit than the synthetic (Adhami & Muktar 2013). Phenolic compounds constitute one of the most numerous and ubiquitous groups, of the secondary metabolites. They defend the plants against a variety of herbivores or aggression by pathogens (Brunetti et al 2015). Researchers explored that these antioxidants may play an important role in the prevention of free-radical-induced diseases by acting as hydrogen and/or electron donors, which quench the free radicals and are converted to antioxidant radicals (Nyanhongo et al 2013). Epidemiological studies have revealed that phenolic compounds provide a significant protection against the development of several chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, infections, aging and asthma (Liu & Huang 2014)
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