Silvia Bittner Fialova
Comenius University Bratislava, Faculty of Pharmacy, Slovakia
Title: The combination of different parts of oregano and water mint revealed antioxidant synergy
Biography
Biography: Silvia Bittner Fialova
Abstract
Water mint (Mentha aquatica L.) and oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) are industrially important perennial medicinal plants from the family Lamiaceae. Aerial parts of both herbs are used not only in traditional medicine but also in the food industry and cosmetics. The aim of this study was to analyze and compare the secondary metabolites in their rhizomes, leaves, and flowers and to determine their antioxidant effects separately and in different combinations. The usage of underground parts is not known yet. We used the LC-MS method for the identification and quantification of polar phenolic compounds in analyzed herbal parts and the DPPH method for the evaluation of antioxidant capacity. Phytochemical fingerprints of methanol extracts revealed the presence of phenolic esters (oregano A, oregano C), flavonoids (luteolin, apigenin, chrysoeriol derivatives), and phenolic acids (rosmarinic acid, caffeic acid) in oregano and flavonoids (eriodictyol derivatives, hesperidin) and phenolic acids (rosmarinic acid) in water mint. The presence and quantities of mentioned phenolic compounds differ among the herbal part. While aerial parts were rich in all phenolic compounds, rhizomes contained predominantly phenolic acids. The antioxidant activity of water mint organs varied from 21.8 μg/mL to 28.8 μg/mL and in oregano parts ranged from 8.9 μg/mL to 19.3 μg/mL. The interaction study revealed a synergy of mixtures of oregano organs and moderate synergy when combining oregano leaves and mint leaves (Table 1). The rest of the combinations were mostly additive. The study brings new information about containing compounds in underground parts of water mint and oregano, and furthermore, it presents advantageous mixtures for the strong antioxidant properties of their organs.
Acknowledgment: This work was supported by the Grant Agency of The Ministry of Education, Science, Research, And Sport of Slovakia (grants no. VEGA 1/0284/20 and VEGA 1/0226/22), by the Slovak Research and Development Agency under contract number APVV-19-0056.