In Vitro Cultures of Some Medicinal Plant Species (Cistus × incanus, Verbena officinalis, Scutellaria lateriflora, and Scutellaria baicalensis) as a Rich Potential Source of Antioxidants-Evaluation by CUPRAC and QUENCHER-CUPRAC Assays

Michał Dziurka; Paweł Kubica; Inga Kwiecień; Jolanta Biesaga-Kościelniak; Halina Ekiert; Shaimaa A M Abdelmohsen; Fatemah F Al-Harbi; Diaa O Elansary; Hosam O Elansary; Agnieszka Szopa

doi:10.3390/plants10030454

In Vitro Cultures of Some Medicinal Plant Species (Cistus × incanus, Verbena officinalis, Scutellaria lateriflora, and Scutellaria baicalensis) as a Rich Potential Source of Antioxidants-Evaluation by CUPRAC and QUENCHER-CUPRAC Assays

Plants (Basel). 2021 Feb 27;10(3):454. doi: 10.3390/plants10030454.

Affiliations

¹ Polish Academy of Sciences, The Franciszek Górski Institute of Plant Physiology, ul. Niezapominajek 21, 30-239 Kraków, Poland.
² Chair and Department of Pharmaceutical Botany, Jagiellonian University, Medical College, Medyczna 9, 30-688 Kraków, Poland.
³ Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh 84428, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Precision Agriculture Laboratory, Department of Pomology, Faculty of Agriculture (El-Shatby), Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
⁵ Plant Production Department, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Floriculture, Ornamental Horticulture, and Garden Design Department, Faculty of Agriculture (El-Shatby), Alexandria University, Alexandria 21545, Egypt.
⁷ Department of Geography, Environmental Management, and Energy Studies, University of Johannesburg, APK Campus, 2006 Johannesburg, South Africa.

Abstract

Comparative estimations of the antioxidant activity of methanolic extracts from biomasses of different types of in vitro cultures of Cistus × incanus, Verbena officinalis, Scutellaria lateriflora, and S. baicalensis and also from plant raw materials were performed. The antioxidant measurements were based on the modern assays-cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) and quick, easy, new, cheap, and reproducible CUPRAC (QUENCHER-CUPRAC). The total extractable antioxidants (CUPRAC assay) ranged from 10.4 to 49.7 mmol (100 g)^-1 of dry weight (DW) expressed as Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), and the global antioxidant response (QUENCHER-CUPRAC assay) ranged from 16.0 to 79.1 mmol (100 g)^-1 DW for in vitro cultures, whereas for plant raw materials the total extractable antioxidants ranged from 20.9 to 69.5 mmol (100 g)^-1 DW, and the global antioxidant response ranged from 67.2 to 97.8 mmol (100 g)^-1 DW. Finally, the in vitro cultures could be regarded as an antioxidant-rich alternative resource for the pharmaceutical, health food and cosmetics industries.

Keywords: CUPRAC and QUENCHER-CUPRAC assays; antioxidant activity; plant in vitro cultures; soil-grown plants.

Grants and funding

1/CX/CSRD VA/United States