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Solidago canadensis L., Canadian goldenrod (Asteraceae) has been used in European phytotheraphy for centuries as a component of urological and antiphlogistical remedies. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with diode-array detection (DAD) and online mass spectrometry (MS) has been used for the separation and quantification of phenolics (chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, kaempferol-3-O-~-L-rutinoside (nicotiflorin), quercetin-3-O-13-Drutinoside (rutin), quercetin-3-O-13-D-galactoside (hyperoside), quercetin-3-O-13-D-glucoside (isoquercitrin), quercetin-3-O-13-D-rhamnoside (quercitrin), kaempferol-3-O-~-L-rhamnoside (afzelin) and quercetin from Solidaginis herba. Extracts have been obtained using different technologies. Three aqueous and three alcoholic extracts were studied separately. Reversedphase high-performance liquid chromatography separation of polyphenols on octadecyl sorbent Hypersil was performed, using acetonitrile: acetic acid 2.5 v/v % as eluent in gradient elution. Our results confirm previous reports concerning the presence of several flavonoids. Quantification of the main quercetin glycosides in pharmaceuticals is also reported.

Solidago canadensis is typical of a flavonoid-rich herb and the effect of an aqueous ethanol extract on glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activity using HepG2 cells was compared with those of the flavonol quercetin and its glycosides quercitrin and rutin, found as major constituents. The composition of the extract was determined by HPLC and rutin was found to be the major flavonoidal component of the extract. Total GST activity was assessed using 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene as a substrate. The glycosides rutin and quercitrin gave dose-dependent increases in GST activity, with a 50% and 24.5% increase at 250 mM, respectively, while the aglycone quercetin inhibited the enzyme by 30% at 250 mM. The total extract of the herb gave an overall dose-dependent increase, the fractions corresponding to the flavonoids showed activating effects while those containing caffeic acid derivatives were inhibitory. The activity observed corresponds to that reported for similar compounds in-vivo using rats, thus the HepG2 cell line could serve as a more satisfactory method of assessing the effects of extracts and compounds on GST.

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SummaryAntioxidant fJavonoids from the plants Solidago gigantea Ait., Taraxacum officinale Wiggers and Webers (Asteraceae) and Morus nigra L. (Moraceae) have been analysed by capillary electrophoresis (CE). Solidago gigantea was investigated because of its diuretic, spasmolytic, antiphlogistic, and wound-healing effect, Taraxacum officinale because it has been shown to have good diuretic and choleretic activity, and Morus nigra because it is also widely regarded as a diuretic and antidiabetic agent. Aqueous and methanolic extracts of these plants have antioxidant properties. Because their flavonoid composition might be important in their free-radical-scavenging activity, a capillary electrophoretic method was developed for characterization of the flavonoids present.We identified quercetin-3-O-/?-rutinoside (rutin), quercetin-3-O-/?-D-glucoside (isoquercitrin), and chlorogenic acid as the most abundant compounds in Solidago gigantea and Morus nigra, and apigenin-7-O-/?-glucoside, luteolin-7-O-/?-glucoside, and chlorogenic acid in Taraxacum officinale. We also discovered that quercetin-3-O-0~-rhamnoside (quercitrin) and quercetin-3-O-/?-galactoside (hyperoside) were absent from our sample of Solidago gigantea and quercitrin from Morus nigra. Quantitative analysis of these extracts was performed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Oxygen free radicals play an important role in the development of different disorders like inflammatory-immune injury, carcinogenesis, hepatic toxicity and artherosclerosis. The antioxydant role of a wide spectrum of natural products has been established. Flavonoids and other phenolic compounds (proanthocyanidins, rosmarinic acid, hydroxicinnamic derivatives, catechines, etc.) of plant origin have been reported as scavengers and inhibitors of lipid peroxidation. We have studied the antioxidant activity as well as content and composition of natural phenolics in a series of medicinal plants with phytotherapeutical significance. Thus we determined the total phenol contents and studied the composition of flavonoids, polyphenols, phenolic acids of different vegetative and reproductive organs of medicinal plants: Anthriscus cerefolium (L.) Hoffm., Petroselinum crispum L., Cichorium intybus L., Helichrysum arenarium D.C.„cempervivum tectorum L., Taravacum officinale Web. Characteristic constituents in the various crude drugs were determined by chromatographic (TLC, HPLC) and spectroscopic (UV, UV-VIS) methods. The non specific scavenger activities of the medicinal plant extracts were studied by the chemiluminometric technique. The changes of chemiluminescence intensity of the H,G,•0H-luminol system at increasing concentrations of the H702/ -OH were measured. Inhibitory effects of selected standardized fractions from plants were tested on ascorbic acid induced lipid peroxidation in rat liver and homogenates. The best correlation were established with total phenolics in some medicinal plants (S. tectorum, T. officinale) while activities in other cases seem to be influenced by flavonoids (P. crispum, H. arenarium, A. cerefolium) and by hydroxicinnamic derivatives (C. intybus).

Characteristic constituents of chervil, Anthriscus cerefolium L. (Hoffm.) (Apiacae) were investigated for free radical scavenging effects. Different extraction and purification methods were used to separate essential oil and flavonoids from the leaves, and lignans from the root. In vitro test methods were used to determine whether the extracts had free radical scavenging and membrane protective activity. The identification of the chemical constituents was conducted by high pressure liquid chromatographic (HPLC) and gas chromatographic (GC) techniques. The following were concluded: flavonoids from the herb and lignans from the root showed strong free radical quenching activity, while the volatile oil obtained from the herb was less effective. The identification of the constituents of the extracts indicated that apiin is the main flavonoid, deoxypodophyllotoxin the major lignan, and methylcavicol the predominant constituent of the essential oil.

Canadian golden rod (Solidago x canadensis L., Asteraceae) has been used in European phytotheraphy for 700 years as a urological and antiphlogistical remedy. Dissolution rates of quercetin glycosides and organic acids have been studied, as well as mineral elements of Solidaginis herba into different tinctures and aqueous extracts. Determination of the flavonoids in Solidaginis herba (16.75 mg/g) and of flavonoid release in extracts (14.9-72.9 %) was carried out by spectrophotometric analysis. To study the flavonoid composition of the crude drug, an HPLC technique was applied. The concentrations of 16 mineral elements (Al, B, Ba, Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P, S, Ti, Zn) in the samples were measured by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Connection has been found between some ion concentrations and the presence and quantity of flavonoids.