Phenolics, flavonoids and antioxidant activity of Tagetes spp. from Tucumán

VIDAL, EA; LUNA, L; TERESCHUCK, ML; SLANIS, A; GONZÁLEZ, M; FERESIN, GE; TAPIA, A

San Juan

Jornada; Second joint meeting of the Biology Societies from Argentina; 2011

Sociedades de Biología de la República Argentina

In recent years, a significant revival in the search for compounds from natural sources with antioxidant activity. The genus Tagetes includes 12 species that grow wild in Argentina. The aim of this study was determine the content of total phenolics, flavonoids and antioxidant activity. Dichloromethane (EDCM) and methanol (EM) extracts of four Tagetes spp. growing from Tucumán Province: T. minuta L.; T. rupestris Cabrera; T. pusilla Kunth and T. campanulate Griseb were assessed through the scavenging effects on radical DPPH, FRAP (ferric reducing-antioxidant power) in order to evaluate the antioxidant capacity. EM of T. rupestris and T. minuta showed the highest percentages of phenolics (>21% and >20% GAE/100g extract, respectively); and flavonoids (>10% and >7% QE/100g extract, respectively). In addition, this species showed the highest antioxidant activity (>89% and >90% of DPPH decoloration at 10 µg/mL) and stronger FRAP a 200 µg/mL (0.419 and 0.446, respectively), compared with standard galic acid at 10 µg/mL. Theses species studied so far are an excellent source of antioxidant compounds.