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Antioxidant Activities and Polyphenolic Contents of Three Selected Micromeria Species from Croatia

2011; Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute; Volume: 16; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3390/molecules16021454

1433-1373

Sanda Vladimir‐Knežević, Biljana Blažeković, Maja Bival Štefan, Antun Alegro, Tamás Kőszegi, József Petrik,

Bee Products Chemical Analysis

Antioxidant activities of three selected Micromeria species growing in Croatia (M. croatica, M. juliana and M. thymifolia) were evaluated using five different antioxidant assays, in comparison with plant polyphenolic constituents and reference antioxidants. All studied ethanolic extracts exhibited considerable activity to scavenge DPPH and hydroxyl free radicals, reducing power, iron chelating ability and total antioxidant capacity in the order: M. croatica > M. juliana > M. thymifolia. Total polyphenol (9.69-13.66%), phenolic acid (5.26-6.84%), flavonoid (0.01-0.09%) and tannin (3.07-6.48%) contents in dried plant samples were determined spectrophotometrically. A strong positive correlation between antioxidant activities and contents of phenolic acids and tannins was found, indicating their responsibility for effectiveness of tested plants. Our findings established Micromeria species as a rich source of antioxidant polyphenols, especially the endemic M. croatica.