title: Influence of altitudinal variation on the content of phenolic compounds in wild populations of Calluna vulgaris, Sambucus nigra, and Vaccinium myrtillus.
abstract: This study deals with the effect of altitudinal variation on the content of phenolic compounds in three traditional herbal plants, which are also consumed as food in Central Europe. Herbs of Calluna vulgaris (L.) HULL, flowers and fruits of Sambucus nigra L., and berries of Vaccinium myrtillus L. collected in the Naturpark Solktaler (Austria) were extracted using accelerated solvent extraction (ASE). Identification and quantification of the constituents in the polar extracts (methanol 80%, v/v) were achieved by means of RP-HPLC-PDA and/or LC-PDA-MS analysis with external standards. 3,5- O-Dicaffeoylquinic acid was identified in flowers of S. nigra for the first time. Rising concentrations of flavonoids and especially flavonol-3- O-glycosides with adjacent hydroxyl groups in ring B in C. vulgaris and S. nigra with increasing altitude were observed. Anthocyanins from the berries of both S. nigra and V. myrtillus occurred in decreasing amounts with rising altitude. C. vulgaris showed the best radical scavenging capacity based on the DPPH assay.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Pharmacognosy, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 4/1, A-8010 Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Gudrun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rieger
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guttenberger
authors.forename: Franz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bucar
mesh_terms: D000531:Altitude; D000872:Anthocyanins / Q000032:analysis; D029795:Calluna / Q000737:chemistry*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000032:analysis; D035264:Flowers / Q000737:chemistry; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D010636:Phenols / Q000032:analysis*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry; D027924:Sambucus nigra / Q000737:chemistry*; D029800:Vaccinium myrtillus / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000872:Anthocyanins; D005419:Flavonoids; D010636:Phenols; D010936:Plant Extracts