title: Flavonoids of willow herb (Chamerion angustifolium (L.) Holub) and their radical scavenging activity during vegetation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Willow herb has been traditionally used in folk medicine and currently it is a potential raw material for production of phytopharmaceuticals. The aim of this work was to determine the highest amount of flavonoids and the highest radical scavenging activity of willow herb, which was collected in different vegetation phases (intensive growing, bud, massive blooming, ripening of fruits (seeds) and the end of vegetation) and in different parts of the plant (blooms, leaves and stems).
  
  
  METHODS
  Raw material was collected at Kaunas Botanical garden of Vytautas Magnus University. Willow herb was extracted using methanol/water mixture (75/25 v/v, %). Methanolic extracts were purified using solid-phase extraction. For determination of the radical scavenging activity of compounds the HPLC system with the on-line post-column DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical reaction detection was used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five flavonoids were identified and their quantitative distribution and radical scavenging activity were evaluated. The highest total amount of flavonoids and radical scavenging activity were determined in willow herb collected during the massive blooming phase (11.12 ± 0.34 mg/g and 8.71 ± 0.29 mg/g, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The highest amount of flavonoids and radical scavenging activity was determined for raw material collected during the massive blooming phase. Evaluation of different parts of the plant during the massive blooming phase revealed that the highest amount of flavonoids and radical scavenging activity are characteristic for blooms of the plant.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Natural Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania. Electronic address: a.maruska@gmf.vdu.lt.
authors.forename: Audrius
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maruška
authors.affiliation: Kaunas Botanical Garden of Vytautas Magnus University, Sector of Medicinal Plants, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Ona
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ragažinskienė
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Ovidijus
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Vyšniauskas
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Natural Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Vilma
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kaškonienė
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Natural Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Violeta
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bartkuvienė
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Natural Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kornyšova
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Vitalis
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Briedis
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ramanauskienė
mesh_terms: D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D035264:Flowers / Q000737:chemistry*; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry*; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000737:chemistry*; D032108:Salix / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005419:Flavonoids; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D010936:Plant Extracts
keywords: Chamerion angustifolium (L.); DPPH; Flavonoids; Radical scavenging activity; Vegetation phases