Polyphenol content and bioactivity of Achillea moschata from the Italian and Swiss Alps

Abstract

Achillea moschata Wulfen, which grows in the Alps, is extensively used by local people for its medicinal properties. Two studied samples were collected, at the flowering stage, in Val Mustair (Switzerland) and Valchiavenna (Italy), respectively. The aerial parts were defatted with petroleum ether (PET) and successively extracted with dichloromethane (DCM) and methanol (MeOH). High-performance liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry analyses of the methanolic extracts evidenced that flavonoids were the predominant compounds compared to phenolic acids in both samples (89.5 vs. 33.0 μg/mg DW in A. moschata Valchiavenna and 82.5 vs. 40.0 μg/mg DW in A. moschata Val Mustair). Among flavonoid derivatives, luteolin and apigenin were the predominant aglycones, free and glycosilated. The A. moschata Valchiavenna extract was characterized by apigenin as the main compound (60.4 μg/mg DW), while A. moschata Val Mustair was characterized by its derivative apigenin 7-O-glucoside (44.7 μg/mg DW). The antioxidant activity of all the obtained extracts was tested by the DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-picryl hydrazyl) and ABTS (2,21-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) methods, which showed their increasing scavenger capacity in relation to extract polarity (PET extract < DCM extract < MeOH extract). The extracts were also investigated against three Gram-positive (Bacillus cereus, Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus) and three Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacterial species using the disc diffusion assay. DMC and PET were the most active extracts (inhibition diameter: ≥12 mm).

Identification of the Volatile Components of Galium verum L. and Cruciata leavipes Opiz from the Western Italian Alps

“…In conclusion, the chemical composition of the essential oils obtained from the two Rubiaceae species, G. verum and C. laevipes, indicate a complex balance of phytochemicals to protect the plants in their environment. In addition, as shown for other studied Alpine plants [39,40] and plants producing essential oils with similar composition [27,41,42], G. verum and C. laevipes produce volatiles with valuable biological properties.…”

Achillea Species as Sources of Active Phytochemicals for Dermatological and Cosmetic Applications

“…3 Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity DCQA), 4-caffeoylquinic acid (4-CQA), 4-feruloquinic acid, 4-OH-benzoic acid, and 5-caffeoylquinic acid (5-CQA)) were identified. Also, the extracts contain several simple phenolic acids like ferulic, gallic, o-coumaric acid, p-coumaric acid, p-hydrobenzoic, protocatechuic, quinic, salicylic, sinapic, acid, trans-cinnamic, and vanillic acids [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] and vanillin-a phenolic aldehyde [23,24].…”

“…Moreover, the scientists have confirmed the presence of other components from the same group: catechin, 5,7,3′-triacetoxy-3,6,4′-trimethoxyflavone and its isomer, 7-O-methyl apigenin, apigenin, apigenin-7-O-glucoside, axillarin, centaureidin, chrysosplenol B, fisetin, galetin 3,6-dimethyl ether, hesperetin, hesperidin, hyperoside, isoquercetin, isovitexin, jaceidin, kaempferol, kaempferol-3-O-glucoside, luteolin, luteolin-7-O-glycoside, luteolin-7-Oglucuronide, naringenin, nicotiflorin, penduletin, quercetin, and quercetin-3-O-glucuronide. The following flavonoid glucosides were indicated as the constituents of Achillea extracts: isoharmnetin-3-O-glucoside and isoharmnetin-3-O-rutinoside, isoschaftoside, neoschaftoside, and schaftoside [17,19,[21][22][23][24][25][26].…”

“…Among them (1,3-dicaffeoylquinic acid (1,3-DCQA), 1-feruloquinic acid, 3,4,5-tricaffeoylquinic acid (3,4,5-TCQA), 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (3,5-DCQA), 3-caffeoylquinic acid (3-CQA), 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid (4,5-DCQA), 4-caffeoylquinic acid (4-CQA), 4-feruloquinic acid, 4-OH-benzoic acid, and 5-caffeoylquinic acid (5-CQA)) were identified. Also, the extracts contain several simple phenolic acids like ferulic, gallic, o -coumaric acid, p -coumaric acid, p -hydrobenzoic, protocatechuic, quinic, salicylic, sinapic, acid, trans -cinnamic, and vanillic acids [ 18 – 25 ] and vanillin—a phenolic aldehyde [ 23 , 24 ].…”

Comparison of the Phenolic Compound Profile and Antioxidant Potential of Achillea atrata L. and Achillea millefolium L.

“…Future studies are required, aiming at the identification of further antioxidant components in the most potent ethyl acetate fraction of A. atrata. Moreover, the DPPH assay is a widely used method for determining antioxidant activity, not only of Achillea extracts [13,28,40], thus allowing direct comparison with our results, but also of other plant extracts. Nevertheless, further in vitro assays should be performed to confirm our first insights into the high antioxidant potential of A. atrata and overcome the limitations of the DPPH assay.…”