PHYTOCHEMICAL PROFILE, ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY AND HPTLC FINGERPRINTING OF GERANIUM ROBERTIANUM L. EXTRACTS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24193/subbchem.2026.2.17Keywords:
polyphenolic compounds, flavonoid, antioxidant activity, HPTLC fingerprinting, isoflavonoidAbstract
The present study evaluated the phytochemical composition and antioxidant activity of some hydroalcoholic extracts of Geranium robertianum. Total polyphenol content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) were estimated using colorimetric methods, while antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH and ABTS assays. High performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) was performed to obtain the fingerprints of samples and for preliminary investigation of the presence of isoflavonoids in their composition. The leaf extract exhibited the highest TPC (9.47 ± 0.66 mg gallic acid equivalents/mL), TFC (736.66 ± 9.38 mg rutin equivalents/mL), and showed the strongest antioxidant activity in both DPPH (12.55 ± 1.01 mg vitamin C equivalents/mL) and ABTS (5.63 ± 0.34 µmol Trolox equivalents/mL) assays. Flowers extract demonstrated considerable levels of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity. The chromatographic fingerprints are characteristic of each analyzed part of the plant. The extracts purchased from the market have fingerprints different from those prepared in the laboratory. Also, the obtained fingerprints highlight the possible presence of isoflavonoids in the composition of the analyzed extracts. These findings demonstrate that leaves and flowers of Geranium robertianum represent valuable source of natural antioxidants and provide new information regarding the phytochemical characteristics of commercial Romanian preparations.
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