Yafteh

Background: Antioxidants derived from plants play an important role in reducing the risks of chronic and oxidative stress due to free radicals. The present study aimed to measure and compare the various antioxidative activities of ethanolic and methanolic extracts of Achillea biebersteinii Afan from Aligudarz, Lorestan Province.
Materials and Methods: After obtaining ethanolic and methanolic extracts of Achillea biebersteinii Afan, the radical scavenging activity of the samples was assessed using diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH). The total antioxidant capacity of the samples was assessed by the Phosphomolybdenum method. The amount of total phenol and flavonoid in the samples was assessed using the Folin-Ciocalteu and Zhishen methods.
Results: It was found that the total antioxidant capacity, and the phenol and flavonoid content of the ethanolic and methanolic extracts were similar. The IC50 values (the concentration required to scavenge 50% of radicals) of the ethanolic and methanolic extracts of Achillea biebersteinii Afan, with Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) as a reference was 67.43±4.16, 67.96±5.93, and 3.88±1μg/ml, respectively, P<0.05.
Conclusion: The results showed that there was no difference between the antioxidant properties of the ethanolic and methanolic extracts of Achillea biebersteinii Afan. The solvent type used in the extraction process did not affect the antioxidant properties of this plant. This suggests Achillea biebersteinii Afan is a suitable and easily accessible source of natural antioxidants, which could be included in foods and pharmaceutical applications.

Background: In the present study, the solvent effect (aqueous and hydroalcoholic) of the extraction on the content of phenol, flavonoid, and the antioxidant activity of six medicinal plants, including Persian oak fruit hull (Quercus brantii), Zataria multiflora, German Matricaria chamomilla, Teucrium polium, Rosa foetida Herrm, and mountain barberry (Berberis integerrima) was investigated.
Materials and Methods: To measure phenol and flavonoid content, folin ciocaltio and aluminum chloride reagents were used, respectively, and to measure the antioxidant potential, the DPPH method was used. The content of phenol and flavonoid compounds was calculated as mg equivalent of gallic acid and catechin per gram of dry weight of the plant, respectively. The collected data was analyzed in SPSS software (version 14).
Results: According to the obtained results, the amount of phenol and flavonoid in the hydroalcoholic extract of oak fruit hull Quercus brantii, Zataria multiflora, German Matricaria chamomilla, and mountain barberry was more than the aqueous extract, and this difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). The highest content of phenol and flavonoid were related to the hydroalcoholic extract of oak by 310.2 ± 2.5 mg/g and 241.2 ± 1 mg/g, respectively, and the lowest amounts were related to the aqueous extract of Matricaria chamomilla (53.1±1.1 mg/g) and the aqueous extract of acorn (23.9±1.5 mg/g), respectively. The highest antioxidant activity (IC₅₀) was related to oak fruit-hull hydroalcoholic extract (39.1±4.4 µg/ml), and the lowest was related to the aqueous extract of Matricaria chamomilla (315.3±3.3 µg/ml).
Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that the solvent used to extract plants is a significant factor in separation of phenol and flavonoid compounds as well as their antioxidant activity.
 

Background: Papaver plant has various alkaloids that are used in the manufacture of muscle relaxant drugs. For this purpose, this study aimed to assess phytochemical changes and alkaloids of Papaver.
Materials and Methods: The samples of 6 species of Papaver were collected from Kermanshah, Tehran, Khuzestan, and Lorestan provinces. Phytochemical compounds investigated in the research were used to measure alkaloids by the HPLC method, phenol, flavonoid, and antioxidants by spectrophotometric device and multivariate statistical methods of principal components, and cluster analysis by the Ward method.
Results: The highest and lowest amounts of total phenol were reported in Papaver hybridum and P.rhoeas samples from Lorestan, respectively. The highest and lowest amounts of total flavonoid were detected in Lorestan from P.bracteatum and in Khuzestan province from P. rhoeas species, respectively. The highest and lowest antioxidant activity was reported in P. bracteatum species in Kermanshah province and P. rhoeas species in Khuzestan province, respectively. The results of the principal component analysis illustrated that two main and independent factors explained a total of 70.6% of the total variance. The results of the cluster analysis also indicated that all the studied provinces were very similar in terms of P.rhoeas. Moreover, Lorestan, Kermanshah, and Khuzestan provinces were somewhat similar in terms of P.dubium, P.macrostomum, P.hybridum, and P. bracteatum species.
Conclusion: The amount of phenol, flavonoid, antioxidant activity, and alkaloids of Papaver in this study was affected by the environmental conditions of the collection site and the type of species. In general, the species P. bracteatum is richer in terms of phytochemical properties studied and can be considered in breeding and domestication programs.