title: Comparison between the radical scavenging activity and antioxidant activity of six distilled and nondistilled mediterranean herbs and aromatic plants.
abstract: Thirty-six different extracts of six herbs and aromatic plants (fennel, common melilot, milfoil, lavandin cv. Super, spike lavender, and tarragon) were evaluated for their radical scavenging activity by the DPPH*, NBT/hypoxanthine superoxide, and *OH/luminol chemiluminescence methods, and for their antioxidant activity by the beta-carotene blenching test. The total phenolic content was also determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method. The plant material included cultivated plants and their wastes after being distilled for essential oils. Both remarkably high phenolic content and radical scavenging activities were found for the ethyl acetate and dichloromethane fractions among the different plant extracts. In general, the distilled plant material was found to exhibit a higher phenolic content as well as antioxidant and radical scavenging activities than the nondistilled material. Ethyl acetate and dichloromethane extracts, and even some crude extract, of both distilled and nondistilled plants exhibited activities comparable to those of commercial extracts/compounds, thus making it possible to consider some of them as a potential source of antioxidants of natural origin.
authors.affiliation: Departament de Productes Naturals, Biologia Vegetal i Edafologia, Facultad de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona, Avenida Joan XXIII s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Parejo
authors.forename: Francesc
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Viladomat
authors.forename: Jaume
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bastida
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rosas-Romero
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Flerlage
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Burillo
authors.forename: Carles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Codina
mesh_terms: D000085:Acetates; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000032:analysis*; D019306:Artemisia / Q000737:chemistry; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds; D030001:Foeniculum / Q000737:chemistry; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000032:analysis*; D005609:Free Radicals; D017665:Hydroxyl Radical; D027523:Lavandula / Q000737:chemistry; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D008165:Luminol; D019083:Mediterranean Region; D008752:Methylene Chloride; D010636:Phenols / Q000032:analysis; D010851:Picrates / Q000737:chemistry; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry*; D019207:beta Carotene / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000085:Acetates; D000975:Antioxidants; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D005609:Free Radicals; D010636:Phenols; D010851:Picrates; D010936:Plant Extracts; D019207:beta Carotene; D017665:Hydroxyl Radical; D008752:Methylene Chloride; D008165:Luminol; C007650:ethyl acetate; C004931:1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl