2011
Volume 11, Number 3, pp. 113–117
The content of some antioxidants in the leaves of medicinal plants of the South Georgian mountains
Nani Kacharava, Gulnara Badridze, Lali Chigladze, Tamar Kurdadze, Eva Chkhubianishvili and Shota Chanishvili
Institute of Botany of Ilia State University, Botanikuri 1, 0105 Tbilisi, Georgia
The content of the antioxidants ascorbic acid, tocopherol, proline, anthocyanins and soluble phenols in the leaves of medicinal herbs (valerian (Valeriana tiliifolia Troitzki), lappa burdock (Arctium lappa L.), St John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum L.), oregano (Origanum vulgare L.), alpine dock (Rumex alpinus L.), jointweed (Polygonum alpinum All.), common thyme (Thymus collinus Bieb) and lady’s mantle (Alchemilla tephroserica (Bus.) Jus) has been investigated. Plants were growing at different altitudes in the southern mountain region of Georgia: the Alpine Botanical Garden of Bakuriani and its surroundings (1700–1800 m a. s. l., lower forest zone) and the Tskhra-Tskaro–Kodiani pass (2450 m a. s. l., alpine zone). All plants studied were found to contain polyantioxidant composition, though not all antioxidant components seemed to play an active rôle in adaptation to high-mountain stress conditions. The high efficiency of antioxidants in the alpine zone was due to the increase of ascorbic acid (1.1–1.6 fold), tocopherol (1.4–3.1 fold) and proline (1.3–3.5 fold) content in valerian, lappa burdock, jointweed and common thyme, while in St John’s wort and oregano a positive correlation was observed between contents of anthocyanins and soluble phenols. The data demonstrate the coördinated activity of the antioxidant system, thus achieving high efficiency activity of the plant.
Keywords: antioxidants, high mountains, medicinal plants