Document Type : Research Article
Authors
1
Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
2
Professor in University of Tabriz
3
Plant bank, Iranian Biological Resource Center (IBRC) (ACECR)
Abstract
Introduction
Taking into account Iran's unique meteorological and biological characteristics due to its geographic position. This has contributed to the variety and abundance of plant species cultivated there. The Artemisia species, which are among Iran's most valuable plants, are members of the Asteraceae family and are found across the country in reasonably large numbers. Antioxidants now play an indisputable role in the food, pharmaceutical, and healthcare industries. Given that the antioxidant capability is greatly influenced by the kind of solvent used, the technique used to extract the plants that were harvested from each location, as well as other factors like the weather, altitude, and light. The substantial antioxidant activity of phenolic and flavonoid compounds and their protective significance in cancer illnesses are caused by these compounds' regenerative properties.
Materials and Methods
In this work, Artemisia aucheri, a medicinal plant, was gathered from Semnan, Mazandaran, and Isfahan in Iran, and the antioxidant activity of these ecotypes was assessed. In this study, the quantity of total phenol and flavonoids in polar (ethanol) and non-polar (ethyl acetate) extracts, as well as the proportion and diversity of essential oil components, were assessed. Antioxidant content was also determined using the DPPH and FRAP techniques.
Results and Discussion
The most active antioxidant is found in the Semnan ecotype. The polar solvent of ethanol showed the strongest inhibition whereas the non-polar solvent of ethyl acetate shown stronger reducing activity, proving the importance of the extraction solvent on antioxidant activity in various processes. The non-polar extract (ethyl acetate) from the Mazandaran ecotype had the greatest flavonoid concentration, while the polar extract (ethanol) from the Isfahan ecotype had the highest phenolic content. The ethanolic extract performed the best when assessing total phenol. The most crucial elements of essential oils are oxidized monoterpenes. Oxygenated monoterpenes are present in 54.82% of the Semnan ecotype, 38.81% of the Mazandaran ecotype, and 24.41% of the Isfahan ecotype. In comparison to other ecotypes, the Semnan ecotype exhibited the most oxygenated monoterpene compounds and the greatest number of essential oil-containing compounds.
Conclusions
These findings suggest that A. aucheri possesses abundant natural antioxidant sources and is useful in both the food and pharmaceutical industries. A key aspect is the act of extraction, which is focused on the extraction's goal. The solvent used during extraction significantly affects the outcomes. Regarding the chemical makeup of the compounds, the solvent's polarity directly affects the solutes that are extracted. Since phenolic chemicals are more attracted to polar solvents, they are found in plant samples. The kind of flavonoids found in plants and their degree of polarity determine the variation in the quantity of flavonoid content between polar and non-polar extracts. On the other hand, a variety of ecological, genetic, regional, and dietary variables may have contributed to the variation in phenolic contents, essential oils, and antioxidant chemicals found in the three analyzed ecotypes.
Among the valuable plants of Iran, the Artemisia species belong to the Asteraceae family, which are relatively widely distributed in different parts of Iran. Considering that the antioxidant potential is significantly dependent on the nature of the solvent, the extraction method of the plant collected from each region, and also depends on many parameters such as weather, altitude and light. In this study, the medicinal plant Artemisia aucheri was collected from 3 different regions of Iran (Semnan, Mazandaran and Isfahan) and the antioxidant potential of these ecotypes was evaluated. In this research, medicinal properties including antioxidant content (by DPPH and FRAP methods), amount of total phenol and flavonoids in polar (ethanol) and non-polar (ethyl acetate) extracts and the percentage and variety of essential oil compounds were evaluated. Semnan ecotype has the highest antioxidant activity. The non-polar solvent of ethyl acetate showed a higher reducing activity, which indicates that the type of solvent used in extraction is very effective on antioxidant activity. Isfahan ecotype has the highest phenolic content in polar extract and Mazandaran ecotype has the highest flavonoid content in non-polar extract. Semnan ecotype had the most oxygenated monoterpene compounds and the most compounds in the essential oil among other ecotypes. These results indicate that A. aucheri has rich sources of natural antioxidants and can be widely used in food and pharmaceutical industries. The diversity of phenolic contents, essential oil and antioxidant compounds observed in the three studied ecotypes can be due to various ecological, genetic, geographical and nutritional factors.
Keywords
Main Subjects
)
Send comment about this article