Impact of Geographical Conditions on Phenolic and Flavonoid Contents and Antioxidant Activity of Different Extracts of Ajuga iva

Abstract

In the present investigation, various cultivars of Ajuga iva were collected from different locations in Morocco in 2022. These cultivars were subjected to extraction using different solvents, namely water, ethanol and methanol, to obtain extracts from their aerial parts. The extracts were then analyzed to determine their total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, total sugar content, hydrolysable tannin content, condensed tannin content and antioxidant activity. The results obtained from the analysis revealed the following quantities for the different parameters: The total phenolic content ranged from 226.04±8.47 to 22.59±2.43 mg GAE/g dw, the total flavonoid content ranged from 22.27±0.11 to 3.35±0.006 mg QE/g dw, the total sugar content ranged from 38.78±2.56 to 2.88±0.18 mg/g dw, the reducing sugar content ranged from 7.17±0.45 to 0.41±0.007 mg/g dw, the hydrolysable tannin content ranged from 12.25±0.017 to 0.75±0.15 mg TAE/g dw, the condensed tannin content ranged from 25.49±0.53 to 3.35±1.85 mg/g dw and the total antioxidant capacity ranged from 0.18±0.012 to 0.010±0.004 mg AAE/g dw. Furthermore, a principal component analysis was conducted to assess the relationship between the different parameters. The analysis revealed a strong correlation between the total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and hydrolysable tannin content with the total antioxidant capacity. This suggests that these compounds contribute significantly to the antioxidant capacity of Ajuga iva. Overall, the findings of this study demonstrate that Ajuga iva contains substantial amounts of bioactive compounds and possesses a noteworthy antioxidant capacity. These results contribute to the understanding of the chemical composition and potential health benefits of Ajuga iva.