Agropyron repens L. phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity study

Abstract

Introduction. Agropyron repens L. is a perennial herb of the Poaceae family which can be found worldwide in all kinds of grasslands or agricultural fields [3]. The plant is most-known due its allelopathic properties and its water or ethanol extracts can be also used as traditional medicinal herb for the treatment of the urinary tract disorders like urethritis, nephritis or urinary calculi. Furthermore, the extracts made from this plant can be used to relieve symptoms of digestive system disfunction or for protection against diseases of coronary heart like increased cholesterol or diabetes [2, 3]. The main part that is being used from this plant is its rhizomes because it has the biggest amounts of biologically active substances. Agropyron repens L. has flavonoids such as rutin, quercetin, luteolin in its chemical composition. Also, there is monoterpenes timolol, menthol, carvacrol and palmitic acids, three groups of carbohydrates – monosaccharides (rhamnose, glucose and fructose), disaccharides and polysaccharides (inulin and triticin), organic (acetic, butyric, cinnamic and etc.) and phenolic (ferulic, vanillic, chlorogenic and etc.) acids, big amounts of silica and fatty acids in its chemical composition. These chemical compounds determine anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, antidiabetic, antioxidative and diuretic effect of the plant [1, 4, 5]. The aim of this research is to evaluate the total content of phenolic compounds, the total amount of flavonoids and antioxidant activity of Agropyron repens L. rhizomes and grass ethanolic extracts in different stages of vegetation. [...].