Phenolics of Aerial Parts of Gentiana lutea L. and Their Biological Activity

Abstract

Gentiana lutea L. is a medicinal plant the roots of which are primarily used in treatments of various human digestive disorders, but also the production of alcoholic liquors. The roots (radix) of G. lutea are described in the European Pharmacopeia, but knowledge about the chemical composition and biological activities of its aerial parts is still limited. Thus, until today aerial parts of this species have not been used in medical treatments or consumed. Therefore, flowers, leaves, and stems extracts of G. lutea obtained by using four different extraction solvents (petrol ether, chloroform, ethanol, and water) were examined for their chemical composition and biological activities. High concentrations of salicylic acid, apigenin, and naringenin were recorded for ethanol stem extracts, while significant amounts of kaempferol were detected in leaves and flowers in chloroform and water extracts, respectively. The highest antioxidant potential was recorded for flower and stem petrol ether extracts with the lowest IC50 values, ranging from 94.46 ± 9.45 to 105.38 ± 10.54 μg/mL. Ethanol extracts of flowers and stems showed moderate antioxidant activity (IC50 143.15 ± 14.32 and 146.90 ± 14.69 μg/mL) as well as strong antimicrobial activity against Candida albicans (21.00 ± 1.00 and 27.50 ± 1.78 mm inhibition zones, respectively). In addition, ethanol extracts had higher antimycotic activity compared to naturally occurring phenolic compounds that are used as positive controls. Moreover, statistical analysis of the activities of plant extracts and single compounds showed that levels of chlorogenic and caffeic acids strongly correlate with the biological activities of the extracts, i.e., they are the main carriers of these biological activities. The presented results indicate the possible use of aerial parts of G. lutea as a natural preservative, as well as a antimicrobial agent, which significantly amplifies the benefits of this medicinal crop and greatly affects the sustainability of cultivated Gentiana plantation.

Gentiopicroside PLGA Nanospheres: Fabrication, in vitro Characterization, Antimicrobial Action, and in vivo Effect for Enhancing Wound Healing in Diabetic Rats

“… 1 Gentiana lutea root ( Gentianae radix) is an authorized European Pharmacopoeia drug that was used to treat a variety of human digestive ailments. 2 G. lutea also has several medical benefits and immunomodulatory properties. 3–5 The presence of the primary bitter-tasting secoiridoid gentiopicroside (GPS) is attributed to the health benefits of G. lutea roots.…”

Antibacterial potential and synergistic interaction between natural polyphenolic extracts and synthetic antibiotic on clinical isolates

“…Following these lines, the aim of the current study was to evaluate the impact of the combination of crude extracts and antibiotics on selected resistant clinical isolates. The plants were selected based on their reported anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immunomodulatory and antimicrobial properties ( Ahmad et al, 2016 , Amalraj and Gopi, 2017 , Karalija et al, 2021 , Mahadevi and Kavitha, 2020 , Majeed et al, 2021 , Mancuso, 2020 ). A battery of tests was used to evaluate the individual efficacy as well as the synergism between antibiotics and test extracts.…”

Beauvericin Immunotoxicity Prevention by Gentiana lutea L. Flower In Vitro

“…The capacity of G. lutea for scavenging superoxide radicals is essentially due to the possibility of their occurrence through enzyme- or metal-catalyzed processes. Therefore, the flowers of G. lutea can be used in the food industry, as they are rich sources of natural preservatives and antimicrobial agents [ 11 ]. In fact, one important strategy to prevent mycotoxigenic fungal growth on food and feed is the addition of plant extracts rich in bioactive compounds with antifungal properties [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ].…”