Lower plant as natural antioxidant source.

SAYAGO J., ORDOÑEZ R., VATTUONE M., ISLA M.I.

Tucumán

Jornada; XX Jornadas de la Asociación de Biología de Tucumán; 2004

Asociación de Biología de Tucumán

Flavonoids have been signed like products with antioxidant activity and posses a chemotaxonomic value. Flavonoids from lower plants are found since mosses. Flavones and flavonols are present in Lycopodiophyta and Equisetophyta, respectively. Among Filicophyta, most of Pteris species contain only flavones, some flavonols (Pteris deflexa) and others flavones and flavonols. The aim of this work was to evaluate the antioxidant activity from several lower plant species and to establish a relation between these activities and the kind and level of the phenolic compounds. Extraction with ethanol 80% of Bryum sp and Polytricum sp (Bryophyta), Selaginella sp (Lycopodiophyta), Pteris deflexa (Filicophyta) and Equisetum giganteum (Equisetophyta) were made. Free radical scavenging activity was evaluated using DPPH. Total phenolic compound, flavonoids and UV-visible spectra were also determined. Bryum and Polytrichum showed 40 µg/ml of flavonoids, while higher values were found in Equisetum and Pteris (160 µg/ml) and Selaginella (240 µg/ml). Accordingly with these data, higher antioxidant activities were found in Equisetum, Pteris and Selaginella  than in mosses extracts. IC50 values were 4.5 µg/ml of flavonoids for Selaginella and 4.5 and 16 µg/ml for Equisetum and Pteris respectively. We conclude that Lycopodiophyta, Equisetophyta and Phylicophyta could be an appropiate source of natural antioxidant.