Qualitative and quantitative determination of flavonoids in different organs of Atriplex nitens Schkuhr and evaluation of anti-hyaluronidase activity

Atriplex nitens Schkuhr (Amaranthaceae), also known as A. sagittata is a common weed resistant to harsh environmental conditions, such as salinity or drought. The plant is also valued as fodder due to high biomass production. Its phytochemical composition is poorly known, except for the presence of proteins, fats and ecdysteroids in seeds [1], [2]. Related species are reported to have high anti-oxidant properties and are rich sources of phenolics, including flavonoids. These were detected eg. in A. hortensis, A. lentiformis, or A. littoralis [3].

Flavonoids are known for various biological activities that determine their medicinal use. One of these is anti-hyaluronidase activity [4]. Therefore, the aim of our study was qualitative and quantitative determination of flavonoids in crude extracts from different organs of A. nitens, together with estimation of their effect on this enzyme.

Flavonoids have been analysed by LC-ESI-MS/MS. They were detected only in the aboveground parts of the plant. Nine compounds were quantified. Among them, kaempferol-3-glucoside-7-rhamnoside was predominant in stems and leaves (159.00 ± 6.93 µg/mg and 219.67 ± 13.65 µg/mg, respectively) whereas isoquercetin was most abundant in flowers (259.33 ± 6.11 µg/mg). The highest anti-hyaluronidase activity in vitro, determined by turbidimetric method [5], was observed for the flower extract (IC₅₀ = 84.67 µg/mL). This corresponds to the high amount of total flavonoids in this plant part (624.09 µg/mg), including the predominant isoquercetin.

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