Influence of Extraction Solvent on the Phenolic Profile and Bioactivity of Two Achillea Species

Abstract

The phenolic composition, as well as the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of two poorly investigated Achillea species, Achillea lingulata Waldst. and the endemic Achillea abrotanoides Vis., were studied. To obtain a more detailed phytochemical profile, four solvents with different polarities were used for the preparation of the plant extracts whose phenolic composition was analyzed using UHPLC-MS/MS (ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry). The results indicate that both of the investigated Achillea species are very rich in both phenolic acids and flavonoids, but that their profiles differ significantly. Chloroform extracts from both species had the highest yields and were the most chemically versatile. The majority of the examined extracts showed antimicrobial activity, while ethanolic extracts from both species were potent against all tested microorganisms. Furthermore, the antioxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated. It was found that the ethanolic extracts possessed the strongest antioxidant activities, although these extracts did not contain the highest amounts of detected phenolic compounds. In addition, several representatives of phenolic compounds were also assayed for these biological activities. Results suggest that ethanol is a sufficient solvent for the isolation of biologically active compounds from both Achillea species. Moreover, it was shown that the flavonoids naringenin and morin are mainly responsible for these antimicrobial activities, while caffeic, salicylic, chlorogenic, p-coumaric, p-hydroxybenzoic, and rosmarinic acid are responsible for the antioxidant activities of the Achillea extracts.

Natural Compounds With Antimicrobial and Antiviral Effect and Nanocarriers Used for Their Transportation

“…Vis against Candida albicans was investigated in a recent study. The results showed good antifungal activity, moreover, the ethanolic extract showed stronger activity against Candida albicans than the antifungal drug ( Kaczorová et al, 2021 ).…”

“…The ethanolic extract of Achillea abrotanoides Vis. (yarrow) showed significant antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria Enterococcus faecalis in comparison with the antibiotic ampicillin ( Kaczorová et al, 2021 ). High concentrations of the flavanone naringenin were found in the ethanolic extracts, which showed very high activity against Enterococcus faecalis .…”

UHPLC-MS Characterization and Biological Insights of Different Solvent Extracts of Two Achillea Species (A. aleppica and A. santolinoides) from Turkey

“…The Achillea genus, one of the most important genera of the Asteraceae family with ethnopharmacological significance, consists of approximately 85 species mainly distributed in Middle East regions, such as Iran, Turkey, and Serbia and Eastern regions of Europe [ 1 ]. Achillea species have been reported to possess highly bioactive compounds and were rich in flavones and other flavonoids [ 2 ], non-saturated carboxylic acids [ 3 ], phenolic glycosides [ 4 ], guaianolides [ 5 ], lignans [ 6 ], phthalate derivatives [ 7 ], piperidine amides, proazulenes [ 8 ], sesquiterpenes [ 9 ], sesquiterpene lactone-diol [ 10 ], sesquiterpene lactones [ 11 ], polyacetylenes [ 12 ], spirodepressolide [ 13 ], tannins [ 14 ], and triterpene alkamide [ 15 ]. An ethnobotanical survey conducted by Mohammadnoseini and colleagues (2017) highlighted the use of several Achillea species in traditional medicine for the management of several ailments [ 16 ].…”

Antioxidants and Bioactive Compounds in Food: Critical Review of Issues and Prospects

“…The fundamental principles for extracting bioactive compounds from natural plant materials, have also been reported. Namely, the methods and solvents considered diversely influence the extraction of molecules with different structures [37].…”