Planta Med 2011; 77 - PL77
DOI: 10.1055/s-0031-1282726

Assessment of antiradical activity of high-mountain medicinal plants in Bulgaria – Alchemilla achtarowii, A. mollis, Gentiana lutea ssp. symphandra, Arnica montana

MT Nikolova 1, AA Vitkova 1, MI Petrova 2, EG Zayova 2
  • 1Department of Plant and Fungal Diversity and Resources, Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., bl.23, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
  • 2Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics 21, G. Bonchev St, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria

The objects of present study are protected, endemic and rare high-mountain medicinal plant in Bulgaria – Alchemilla achtarowii Pawl., A. mollis (Buser) Rothm., Gentiana lutea L. ssp. symphandra (Murb.) Hayer, Arnica montana L. The species are widely used in modern phytotherapy, they are demand raw materials on national and international markets. This requires their cultivation by conventional and biotechnological methods.

The purpose of present study is to evaluate antiradical capacity and total phenols of plants which were grown in situ (A. achtarowii, G. lutea), ex situ (A. mollis) and ex vitro (A. montana). The methanol extracts of examined species were estimated using a 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and Folin-Ciocalteu assays.

The extracts of aerial parts of A. mollis and A. achtarowii showed significant antiradical activity with IC50 values below 50µg/ml. The lowest activity was found of extract of G. lutea >200µg/ml. The extracts of folia and flowers of ex vitro plants of A. montana revealed high radical scavenging activity too, their IC50 values are 64,01 and 85,73µg/ml respectively. Commercial antioxidant butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) was used as positive control and its IC50 value is 12,65µg/m. The antiradical properties of the studied extracts positively corresponded with their total phenol content.

The results obtained showed high antiradical qualities of the examined species. It is especially important that the ex situ and ex vitro grown plants kept its valuable properties. These results will be basis for a future comparative analysis of antioxidant capacity and the content of active components of these species.

Acknowledgement: The authors are grateful for the financial support provided by the Bulgarian National Science Fund, Ministry of Education, Youth and Science (Project DTK-02/38)