engleski

Robinia pseudoacacia L. Invasive alien species as a source of phytopharmaceuticals

The phytochemical fingerprint proved to be very important in the invasion ability of alien plants and, therefore, a leading cause of their environmentally harmful effects. [1] On the other side, this phytochemical richness represents a vast, still underutilised potential for isolating active ingredients and their use as phytopharmaceuticals. [2, 3] This study provides the first LC-MS phytochemical screening of the black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.), alien invasive plant species in the Istria region (Croatia). The performed analysis aimed to identify and quantify the phenolic content in leaf and flower extracts and to assess their antioxidant potential as a basis for their potential use as phytopharmaceuticals. Spectrophotometrically determined total phenolic (TP), non-flavonoid (TNF) and flavonoid (TF) content and antioxidant capacity (AC) were higher in leaf than in flower extracts. Higher values of TP and TNF were displayed in 70% ethanolic than in 80% methanolic extracts. In all extracts, a strong correlation between TP, TF and TNF content and AC values determined by ABTS, DPPH and FRAP assays was observed. A total of 60 bioactive compounds were recorded by LC-MS in leaf and 55 in flower extracts. The most commonly detected compounds were catechin, procyanidin, luteolin, apigenin, quercetin, kaempferol, isorhamnetin, vescalagin, and hydroxybenzoic acid, with catechin as dominant (5.907 mg/g DW) in leaf and vescalagin (5.863 mg/g DW) in flower extracts. These compounds have been found to have antioxidant and antimicrobial properties and have been studied for their potential to treat oxidative stresscaused diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. [4, 5] The results provided new information on the phytochemical properties of the invasive R. pseudoacacia and its potential use as an antioxidant in phytopharmacy.

black locust ; phenolics ; bioactive compounds

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