Skip to main content
Log in

Quantitative analysis of polyphenols and antioxidant activity in four Daphne L. species

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Central European Journal of Biology

Abstract

The content of biologically active phenolic compounds (total polyphenols, tannins, flavonoids, and phenolic acids) were determined using spectrophotometry in four wild Croatian species of Daphne L. in the family Thymelaeaceae (Daphne alpina, D. cneorum, D. laureola, and D. mezereum). The concentration of total flavonoids (TF) was highest in the leaves of these Daphne species (0.12–0.51% dry herb weight, DW) whereas the content of other phenolic compounds analyzed were highest in the roots, including total polyphenols (TP; 2.71–19.03% DW), tannins (T; 1.14–7.39% DW), and total phenolic acids (TPA; 0.12–0.87% DW). D. alpina contained the highest amount of polyphenols, with the exception of flavonoids, where maximum concentrations were found in D. laureola. We also examined the antioxidant activity of leaf, stem, and root extracts. All extracts analyzed demonstrated high free radical scavenging activity with the highest concentration in the leaf extracts of D. alpina. Leaf extracts of D. cneorum showed the highest antioxidant activity in a β-carotene bleaching assay.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Webb D.A., Ferguson I.K., Daphne L., In: Tutin T.G., Heywood V.H., Burges N.A., Moore D.M., Valentine D.H., Walters S.M., Webb D.A., (Eds.), Flora Europaea, Vol. 2, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1968

    Google Scholar 

  2. Wielgorskaya T., Dictionary of generic names of Seed Plants, Columbia Univ. Press, New York, 1995

    Google Scholar 

  3. Erhardt W., Götz E., Bödeker N., Seybold S., Zander — Concise Dictionary of Plant Names, Vol. 17, Eugen Ulmer GmbH und Co., Stuttgart, 2002.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Lovašen-Eberhardt Ž., Daphne L. — likovac, Nat. Croat., 1997, 6, 91

    Google Scholar 

  5. Zhang Q., Ye N., Sun W.-X., Zhang K.-M., Jiang J.-Q., Phytochemical investigation of Daphne giraldii Nitsche (Thymelaeaceae), Biochem. System. Ecol., 2008, 36, 63–67

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Frohne D., Pfander H.J., Poisonous Plants: A Handbook for Doctors, Pharmacists, Toxicologists, Biologists and Veterinarians, Manson Publishing, London, 2005

    Google Scholar 

  7. Ullah N., Phytochemical investigation of Daphne oleoides, Doctoral dissertation, Univ. of Karachi, Karachi, 1999

    Google Scholar 

  8. Kušan F., Medicinal and other useful plants, Poljoprivredni nakladni zavod, Zagreb, 1956

    Google Scholar 

  9. Pan L., Zhang X.F., Deng Y., Zhou Y., Wang H., Ding L.S., Chemical constituents investigation of Daphne tangutica, Fitoterapia, 2010, 81, 38–41

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Cottiglia F., Loy G., Garau D., Floris C., Caus M., Pompei R., et al., Antimicrobial evaluation of coumarins and flavonoids from the stems of Daphne gnidium L., Phytomedicine, 8, 2001, 302–305

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Hoult J.R.S., Forder R.A., Heras B., Lobo I.B., Payá M., Inhibitory activity of a series of coumarins on leukocyte eicosanoid generation, Agents Actions, 1994, 42, 44–49

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Yang Y.-Z., Ranz A., Pan H.-Z., Zhang Z.-N., Lin X.-B., Meshnick S.R., Daphnetin: a novel antimalarial agent with in vitro and in vivo activity, Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 1992, 46, 15–20

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Kupeli E., Tosun A., Yesilada E., Assessment of anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities of Daphne pontica L. (Thymelaeaceae), J. Ethnopharmacol., 2007, 113, 332–337

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Deiana M., Rosa A., Casu V., Cottiglia F., Bonsignore L., DessÌ M.A., Chemical composition and antioxidant activity of extracts from Daphne gnidium L., J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc., 2003, 80, 65–70

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Chaouki W., Leger D.Y., Liagre B., Cherrah Y., Beneytout J.L., Hmamouchi M., Roots of Daphne gnidium L. inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7, Pharmazie, 2009, 64, 542–546

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Hong J.Y., Nam J.W., Seo E.K., Lee S.K., Daphnane diterpene esters with anti-proliferative activities against human lung cancer cells from Daphne genkwa, Chem. Pharm. Bull., 2010, 58, 234–237

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Farkas O., Jakus J., Héberger K., Quantitative structure — antioxidant activity relationships of flavonoid compounds, Molecules, 2004, 9, 1079–1088

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Cushnie T.P.T., Lamb A.J., Antimicrobial activity of flavonoids, Int. J. Antimicrob. Ag., 2005, 26, 343–356

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Middleton E., Kandaswami C., Theoharides T.C., The effects of plant flavonoids on mammalian cells: implications for inflammation, heart disease, and cancer, Pharmacol. Rev., 2000, 52, 673–751

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Havsteen B.H., The biochemistry and medical significance of the flavonoids, Pharmacol. Therapeut., 2002, 96, 67–202

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Gordon M.H., Significance of dietary antioxidants for health, Int. J. Mol. Sci., 2012, 13, 173–179

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Beara I.N., Lesjak M.M., Jovin E.Đ., Balog K.J., Anačkov G.T., Orčić D.Z., et al., Plantain (Plantago L.) species as novel sources of flavonoid antioxidants, J. Agr. Food Chem., 2009, 57, 9268–9273

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Serafini M., Peluso I., Raguzzini A., Flavonoids as anti-inflammatory agents, Proc. Nutr. Soc., 2010, 69, 273–278

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Moon Y.J., Wang X., Morris M.E., Dietary flavonoids: Effects on xenobiotic and carcinogen metabolism, Toxicol. in Vitro, 2006, 20, 187–210

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Williams R.J., Spencer J.P., Rice-Evans C., Flavonoids: antioxidants or signaling molecules?, Free Radical Bio. Med., 2004, 36, 838–849

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Kaur C., Kapoor H.C., Antioxidants in fruits and vegetables — the millennium′s health, Int. J. Food. Sci. Tech., 2001, 36, 703–725

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Seifried H.E., Anderson D.E., Fisher E.I., Milner J.A., A review of the interaction among dietary antioxidants and reactive oxygen species, J. Nutr. Biochem., 2007, 18, 567–579

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Schneider G., To determine the tannin with casein [Zur Bestimmung der Gerbstoffe mit Casein], Arch. Pharmaz., 1976, 309, 38–44 (in German)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Christ B., Müller K.H., Standard determination of the content of flavanol derivatives in drugs [Zur serienmäßigen Bestimmung des Gehaltes an Flavanol-derivaten in Drogen], Arch. Pharm., 1960, 293, 1033–1042 (in German)

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. European Pharmacopoeia, Sixth Edition, Vol. 2, Strasbourg: Councile of Europe, 2007

  31. Grdinić V., Vuković J., Prevalidation in pharmaceutical analysis. Part I. Fundamentals and critical discussion, J. Pharm. Biomed. Anal., 2004, 35, 489–512

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Zovko Končić M., Barbarić M., Perković I., Zorc B., Antiradical, chelating and antioxidant activities of hydroxamic acids and hydroxyureas, Molecules, 2011, 16, 6232–6242

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Kosalec I., Kremer D., Locatelli M., Epifano F., Genovese S., Carlucci G., et al., Anthraquinone profile, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of bark extracts of Rhamnus alaternus, R. fallax, R. intermedia and R. pumila, Food Chem. (in press), DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j. foodchem.2012.08.026

  34. Vandeginste B.G.M., Massart D.L., Buydens L.M.C., De Jong S., Lewi P.J., Smeyers-Verbeke J., Handbook of Chemometrics and Qualimetrics, Part B, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1998

    Google Scholar 

  35. Miller J.N., Miller J.C., Statistics and Chemometrics for Analytical Chemistry, Pearson Education Limited, Essex, 2000

    Google Scholar 

  36. Mook J.H., Haeck J., van der Toorn J., van Tienderen P.H., Ecology of Plantago populations, In: Kuiper P.J.C., Bos M., (Eds.), Plantago: A Multidisciplinary Study, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1992

    Google Scholar 

  37. Rohlf F.J., Wooten M.C., Evaluation of the restricted maximum likelihood method for estimating phylogenetic trees using simulated allele frequency data, Evolution, 1988, 42, 581–595

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Sneath P.H.A., Sokal R.R., Numerical Taxonomy — The Principles and Practice of Numerical Classification, W.H. Freeman and Company, San Francisco, 1973

    Google Scholar 

  39. Chanter D.O., Modifications of the angular transformation, Appl. Stat., 1975, 24, 354–359

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. International Conference on the Harmonization (ICH) of Technical Requirements for the Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use, Validation of Analytical Procedures: Methodology, ICH-Q2B, Geneva, 1996

  41. Thompson M., Ellison S.L.R., Wood R., Harmonized guidelines for single-laboratory validation of method of analysis, Pure Appl. Chem., 2002, 74, 835–855

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Kremer D., Stabentheiner E., Jurišić Grubešić R., Oberländer A., Vladimir-Knežević S., Kosalec I., et al., Morphological and chemotaxonomic research of Teucrium arduini L. in Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Plant Biosyst., 2012, 146, 402–412

    Google Scholar 

  43. Jurišić Grubešić R., Vuković J., Kremer D., Vladimir-Knežević S., Flavonoid content assay: Prevalidation and application on Plantago L. species, Acta Chim. Slov., 2007, 54, 397–406

    Google Scholar 

  44. Jurišić Grubešić R., Vuković J., Kremer D., Vladimir-Knežević S., Spectrophotometric method for polyphenols analysis: Prevalidation and application on Plantago L. species, J. Pharm. Biomed. Anal., 2005, 39, 837–842

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Valko M., Leibfritz D., Moncol J., Cronin M.T.D., Mazur M., Telser J., Free radicals and antioxidants in normal physiological functions and human disease, Int. J. Biochem. Cell Biol., 2007, 39, 44–84

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  46. Valko M., Rhodes C.J., Moncol J., Izakovic M., Mazur M., Free radicals, metals and antioxidants in oxidative stress-induced cancer, Chem. Biol. Interact., 2006, 160, 1–40

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  47. Amarowicz R., Pegg R.B., Rahimi-Moghaddam P., Barl B., Weil J.A., Free-radical scavenging capacity and antioxidant activity of selected plant species from the Canadian prairies, Food Chem., 2004, 84, 551–562

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  48. Seok Tyug T., Nagedra Prasad K., Ismail A., Antioxidant capacity, phenolics and isoflavones in soybean by-products, Food Chem., 2010, 123, 583–589

    Article  Google Scholar 

  49. Sarikurkcu C., Arisoy K., Tepe B., Cakir A., Abali G., Mete E., Studies on the antioxidant activity of essential oil and different solvent extracts of Vitex agnus castus L. fruits from Turkey, Food Chem. Toxicol., 2009, 47, 2479–1483

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Renata Jurišić Grubešić.

About this article

Cite this article

Grubešić, R.J., Kremer, D., Končić, M.Z. et al. Quantitative analysis of polyphenols and antioxidant activity in four Daphne L. species. cent.eur.j.biol. 7, 1092–1100 (2012). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11535-012-0102-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s11535-012-0102-8

Keywords

Navigation