engleski

Invasive plants species as potential source of phytopharmaceuticals

Invasive alien plant species (IAPS) have become widespread in Croatia causing loss of biodiversity, economic damage and often health issues in humans. Despite numerous negative traits of IAPS, it is known that invasive alien plants can be a valuable source of secondary metabolites which can be used in medicine, farmaceutics, agriculture and phytoremediation as novel ecosystem services. The main goal of the Croatian Science Foundation project NATURALLY (IP-2020-02-6899) is to explore the phytopharmaceutical potential of extracts of four invasive alien plant species: Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle, Solidago canadensis L., Helianthus tuberosus L. and Robinia pseudoacacia L. The research study area is the Istria Region in Croatia. During the vegetation season in 2021, the samples were collected, air dried, grinded and stored at +4 °C. The first step in researching the phytopharmaceutical potential was the spectrophotometric evaluation of total phenolic content (TP), total flavonoids (TF), and total non- flavonoids (TNF) in 90% methanol and 70% ethanol leaf extracts. The antioxidant capacity (AC) in both extracts was examined by three standard assays: ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP. The preliminary results have shown the highest TP and TNF values in the extracts of A. altissima, followed by H. tuberosus. The AC values also confirmed that IAPS represent antioxidant-rich plant material, with a potential of use as novel phytopharmaceuticals

invasive plants, phytopharmaceuticals, ecosystem services

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