Search Results (4)

This study presents the results on the composition of hydro-distilled essential oils and the antioxidant properties of extracts isolated with different polarity solvents from the leaves (GLEO) and roots (GREO) of wild-grown Lithuanian goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria L.). The yields of GLEO and GREO were 0.22% and 0.04%. The identified compounds numbered 117 and 88, which constituted 99.4 and 99.2% of the total integrated peak area, respectively. The major GLEO constituents were sesquiterpenes germacrene D (17.53%), (E)-β-bergamotene (11.75%), (E,E)-α-farnesene (7.23%), and (E)-caryophyllene (5.29%), while monoterpene α-pinene (19.24%) was quantitatively dominant in GREO, followed by sesquiterpenes germacrene B (4.59%), (E)-caryophyllene (4.51%), β-barbatene (4.26%), and β-bazzanene (4.10%). Polyacetylene (Z)-falcarinol, which is an important bioactive compound, constituted 4.60% in GREO. The antioxidant characteristics of water, methanol, and acetone extracts were evaluated by the TPC, DPPH^•/ABTS^•+ scavenging, and ORAC assays. The water and methanol extracts of the leaves were the strongest antioxidants; their TPC and ORAC values were 62.12 and 56.84 mg GAE/g, and 1426 and 1293 µM TE/g, respectively; the EC₅₀ values of DPPH^• and ABTS^•+ scavenging were 1.18 and 2.48, and 2.45 and 3.57 mg/mL, respectively. The results obtained may assist in developing antioxidants, cosmeceuticals, nutraceuticals, and other health-beneficial preparations from A. podagraria extracts. Full article

Goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria L.) is a species of medicinal perennial in the celery family (Apiaceae), also considered an edible plant with medicinal effects and high nutritional value. In traditional folk medicine, it was known as a remedy for gout (arthritis) and also used to relieve rheumatism or sciatica. The botanical characteristics, occurrence, nutritional composition, and traditional and present-day applications of this plant are discussed. Furthermore, the important specific plant metabolites including organic acids and their derivatives, flavonoids, coumarins, polyacetylenes and terpene components of essential oil are presented and their biological activity is described. The valuable medicinal properties of Aegopodium podagria L. include anti-inflammatory, antirheumatic, antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, diuretic, sedative and protective effects on the kidneys and liver. The aim of this paper was to describe, on the basis of the available literature, the chemical composition, bioactivity and health-promoting properties of this wild edible plant. The information obtained is described and summarized in tables. Full article

Aegopodium podagraria L. (goutweed), a member of the Apiaceae family, is a common perennial plant found all around the world that has been used in folk medicine since antiquity. Goutweed leaves contain polyacetylenes, essential oils, mono- and sesquiterpenes, vitamins, macro- and microelements, and phenolic compounds. In spite of its many health-promoting properties, including antioxidant effects, the plant has not been thoroughly studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the antioxidant properties of different goutweed leaf extracts and their effects on the THP-1 cell line, and also to describe the chemical characteristics of goutweed. Falcarinol and falcarindiol and essential oil were determined by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Spectrophotometry was used to measure the total content of polyphenols and antioxidant activity–by DPPH and FRAP methods. Oxidative stress in THP-1 cells was induced via sodium fluoride. Then, goutweed leaf extracts were added to evaluate their influence on antioxidant potential (ABTS) and the activity of antioxidant enzymes. Confocal microscopy was used to visualise the production of cytoplasmic and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) and for in vitro imaging of apoptosis. The ethanol extracts have a high total content of polyphenols, polyacetylenes, and essential oil, as well as high antioxidant potential. The main volatiles represented diverse chemical groups, which are both oxygenated derivatives of sesquiterpenes and monoterpenes. We also demonstrated positive effects of the high antioxidant potential and increased activity of antioxidant enzymes on cell cultures under severe fluoride-induced oxidative stress. Extraction at 80 ℃ and the use of ethanol as a solvent increased the antioxidant capacity of the extract. The leaves of Aegopodium podagraria may serve as a valuable source of antioxidants in the daily diet and assist in the prevention and treatment of oxidative stress-mediated conditions, e.g., inflammatory conditions, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and even obesity. Full article

The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)-reverse phase (RP)-HPLC-diode array detector (DAD) method was tested on standard antioxidants (AOs), i.e., reduced glutathione (GSH), ascorbic acid (vitamin C), and alcoholic extracts of A. podagraria L. An elaborated HPLC procedure enabled the simultaneous measurement of the redox couple DPPH-R (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical)/DPPH-H (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazine). Both forms were fully separated (R_s = 2.30, α = 1.65) on a Zorbax Eclipse XDB-C18 column eluted with methanol–water (80:20, v/v) and detected at different wavelengths in the range of 200–600 nm. The absorbance increases of the DPPH-H as well as the DPPH-R peak inhibition were measured at different wavelengths in visible and UV ranges. The chromatographic method was optimized, according to reaction time (slow, fast kinetics), the linearity range of DPPH radical depending on the detection conditions as well as the kind of the investigated antioxidants (reference chemicals and the ground elder prepared from fresh and dry plants). The scavenging capacity was expressed by the use of percentage of peak inhibition and the IC₅₀ parameters. The evaluated extracts displayed antioxidant activity, higher than 20% inhibition against 350 µM DPPH free radical. The results show that extract prepared from dry plants in the ultrasonic bath exhibits the highest antioxidant potential (IC₅₀ = 64.74 ± 0.22 µL/mL). Full article