engleski

Quantitative determination of flavonoids in the leaves of lemon balm - Melissa officinalis L.

Medicinal properties of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) have been known for centuries in Europe and the wider Mediterranean area. In Croatia, use of lemon balm as a medicinal plant begun under the influence of German monasteries during the Middle Ages. Antidepressant, antidiabetic, cardioprotective and antimicrobial properties have been investigated in numerous studies. Polyphenols, including flavonoids, are considered to be the main components responsible for pharmacological activity. The objective of this work was to determine the total content of flavonoids using spectrophotometric method by Christ and Müller [1]. In this method flavonoids are determined as aglycones after hydrolysis in a complex with Al3+. Quantity of flavonoids in each sample was determined in triplicates and obtained results were expressed as mean value with standard deviation. The highest flavonoid content of 0.42±0.01% was found in leaves collected from the Pharmaceutical Botanical Garden “Fran Kušan” (2016) while the lowest one of 0.14±0.01% was detected in leaves from Našice (2014). These result correlate with content of rosmarinic acid and previously reported antiaggregatory effect Melissa officinalis leaf extracts [2]. Results vary between herbal drugs collected in different years and on different locations and are highly susceptible to weather conditions, heat, humidity, plant pathogens, air quality, etc.

lemon balm, flavonoids

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