APPLICATION OF MICROCOLUMN HPLC-UV FOR RAPID QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF ARBUTIN, BERGEN-IN AND GALLIC ACID IN BERGENIA CRASSIFOLIA

This work is aimed at the development of a microcolumn HPLC-UV assay for the rapid quantitative analysis of arbutin, bergenin, and gallic acid in Bergenia crassifolia. The results obtained indicate appropriate metrological parameters of the developed assay. It was found that the known methods of quantitative analysis of phenolic glycosides using SPE-spectrophotometry cannot be characterized as selective and accurate, due to the fact that the presences of the impurity compounds that do not belong to the group of phenolic glycosides negatively influenced the results. The developed assay was used for quantitative analysis of wild and commercial samples of B. crassifolia raw material. It was found that the content of arbutin, bergenin, and gallic acid in samples of B. crassifolia rhizomes collected in the Republic of Buryatia was 38.58–45.97, 66.74–139.76 and 1.22–1.65 mg/g, respectively, and for commercial batches of raw materials 20.57–41.37, 35.04–83.94 and 0.22–1.28 mg/g, respectively. It was found that the process of gradual enzymatic changes in the color of B. crassifolia leaves (green, red, black) leads to significant changes in the chemical composition. The most pronounced phenomenon is the degradation of bergenin, the presence of which is noted only in green leaves. The concentration of gallic acid is reduced in black leaves. Arbutin is characterized by an increased content in red leaves (102.02 mg/g). Additionally, a quantitative analysis of the peduncles and flowers of B. crassifolia was realized, and it was shown that they are distinguished by a high content of arbutin 48.40 and 42.15 mg/g, respectively, as well as bergenin in flowers (16.89 mg/g). The study demonstrated that the developed technique can be applied for a quick, selective, and accurate quantitative analysis of three compounds in various organs of B. crassifolia.

The properties of nanostructured dry extract of bergenia (bergenia crassifolia) and its use in the production of functional food products

The paper presents the properties of a nanostructured dry extract of bergenia (self-organization and the size of nanocapsules are determined using the NTA method). The smallest average size is 118 nm in kappa-carrageenan, and the largest is 273 nm in sodium alginate with a “core : shell” ratio of 1:1. With regard to the polydispersity coefficient, it was shown that in sodium alginate, guar gum and kappacarrageenan it is 2.73–6.58, which corresponds to the ellipsoid form, while in sodium carboxymethylcellulose this coefficient is 1.1–1.3, which corresponds to a spherical shape, although the dimensions themselves are much larger. The resulting compounds have been used in a variety of functional foods.

COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF EXTRACTS OF BERGENIA CRASSIFOLIA (L.) FITSCH LEAVES OF DIFFERENT TERMS OF VEGETATION

New data on the chemical composition and antioxidant properties of aqueous leaf extracts of Bergenia crassifolia (L.) Fitsch of different periods of vegetation growing in the Republic of Buryatia were obtained. It is shown that this is one of the few plants whose leaves contain a significant amount of phenolic compounds. The maximum content of tannins was noted in the extract of red leaves of the incense – 2.42%. Depending on the phase of the collection of raw materials, the content of flavonoids in the water extracts of the leaves of the frangipani varied from 3.88 to 5.42%. A higher accumulation of flavonoids was observed in the extract of black leaves of badan, which is apparently associated with leaf fermentation, in which the cellular structure is destroyed, enzymes and polyphenols are released. The leader in determining the total content of anthocyanins, as well as for flavonoids, was the extract of black leaves of frankincense. The largest amount of arbutin was contained in the extract of green leaves of frankincense – 1.22%. The studied extracts had a high ability to absorb free radicals, however, the extract of green leaves of badan had the highest antiradical activity, had a minimum EC50 of 4 mg/cm3. The iron-chelating ability of the tested aqueous extracts of frankincense leaves of different periods of in vitro vegetation showed that the leaf extracts had weak iron-chelating activity.

Medicinal plants of the Baikal natural territory, which are part of the adaptogenic remedy “Tsentafit”

In many countries, a new direction of pharmacology is actively developing – stimulating therapy, the purpose of which is to create drugs that do not treat, but preserve and strengthen health. Adaptogenic drugs are such drugs aimed at treating and preventing diseases associated with increased fatigue, stress, anorexia, colds, and also to speed up the healing process after the acute phase of the disease. This work presents the results of the distribution of medicinal plants growing on the Baikal natural territory (the Republic of Buryatia, the Irkutsk region and the Trans-Baikal Territory) and which are part of the complex plant-based adaptogenic remedy «Tsentofit». The composition of this product includes the herb Serratula centauroides L., the fruits of Rosa davurica Pallas, the rhizomes with roots of Inula helenium L., the herb Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench and the leaves of Bergenia crassifolia (L.) Fritsch. Among these plants, the leaves of Bergenia crassifolia, the aerial part of Serratula centauroides, and the fruits of Rosa davurica in various plant communities were studied. A commodity analysis was carried out for the raw materials of Bergenia crassifolia, Serratula centauroides and Rosa davurica. The phytomass, biological and exploitation resources of raw materials of these plants are determined.

Features of the rhiospheric microbiota of medicinal plants

Medicinal plants are the source of biologically active compounds that are in constant demand for the pharmacological industry. Active production of plant secondary metabolites is possible only under optimal conditions of plant growth and development. The state of medicinal plants is controlled not only by genotype and environmental conditions but by the qualitative and quantitative composition of their microbiota as well. The study of the structure and function of the rhizospheric communities of medicinal plants is important for obtaining of high quality medicinal raw materials. Microorganisms are the constant companions of higher plants, which can be used as a medicinal raw material. The rhizosphere microbiota is highly specific, even between different varieties of the same plant species. Each plant species has a specific microbiome of the rhizosphere, depending on the existing soil community. The rhizosphere of medicinal plants is marked by a special highly specific microbiome due to the specificity of root exudates. Active cell secretion of the roots provides nutrient substrates with microorganisms that form strong associations both inside the root tissues and on the root surface as well as in the soil around the roots. The purpose of the research was to study the effect of medicinal plants of different systematic groups on the composition of the microbial communities of the rhizosphere. The experiments were conducted in 2018–2019 at the nursery medicinal plant plot of the Department of ecology and botany of Sumy National Agrarian University. Ecological-trophic groups of microorganisms associated with the roots of medicinal plants in the experiment were represented by ammonifying bacteria, nitrogen-fixing bacteria and bacterias that destroyed of plant residues (cellulose-destroying bacteria). In the analysis of the total number of microorganisms of the rhizosphere revealed differences in the quantitative and qualitative composition of microbiota, due to the specific features of a medicinal plant. Positive influence on the development of microflora in the area of the roots and individual ecological-trophic groups had Mentha longifolia (L)., and a negative effect was observed in plants of Bergenia crassifolia L. It has been established that the number of microorganisms and the diversity of ecological-trophic groups is due to the belonging of a medicinal plant to a particular taxon. The number of microorganisms and their diversity decreased in the direction of: Mentha longifolia – Lysimachia vulgaris – Aristolochia clematitis – Achillea submillefolium – Bergenia crassifolia.

Antimicrobial activity of 50 plant extracts

Antibacterial activity of plants is a subject of interest in the search for new antibiotics and fungicidal preparations. This article analyzes the effectiveness of the action of extracts of plants on microorganisms: six species of bacteria (Salmonella typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Corynebacterium xerosis, Proteus vulgaris) and one fungus (Candida albicans). For the assay, we used herbal material of 50 species (seeds, grass, shoots, leaves, compound fruit, peel) obtained at different periods of the growing season. We studied Levisticum officinale, Petroselinum crispum, Nerium oleander, Vinca minor, Eleutherococcus senticosus, E. sieboldianus, Yucca filamentosa, Artemisia annua, Echinacea purpurea, Matricaria recutita, Tanacetum vulgare, Betula pendula, Corylus avellana, Buxus sempervirens, Humulus lupulus, Crassula ovata, Bryophyllum daigremontianum, Juniperus communis, Platycladus orientalis, Cycas revoluta, Calluna vulgaris, Rhododendron ferrugineum, Ceratonia siliqua, Trigonella foenum-graecum, Ribes nigrum, Phellinus tuberculosus, Lavandula angustifolia, Melissa officinalis, Monarda fistulosa, Origanum vulgare, Salvia sclarea, Laurus nobilis, Punica granatum, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, Menispermum dauricum, Ficus benjamina, Morus alba, Paeonia suffruticosa, Picea abies, Adonis vernalis, Amelanchier ovalis, Prunus armeniaca, Crataegus monogyna, Citrus sinensis, Salix babylonica, Bergenia crassifolia, Schisandra chinensis, Taxus baccata and Xanthoria parietina. The alcohol tincture was filtered with sterile multi-layer gauze disc filters. Before the discs were put on the surface of agar with inoculation of the corresponding culture, they were dried in a sterile laminar box under ultraviolet rays. Antibacterial activity of various tinctures was determined by the disk diffusion method in agar with the measurement of the diameter of the growth suppression zone of the culture using a template ruler. Maximum inhibiting effect was achieved for Punica granatum on K. рneumonia, L. monocytogenes, S. typhimurium, P. vulgaris, C. хerosis and E. сoli, Lavandula angustifolia – on P. vulgaris, K. рneumonia and S. typhimurium, Echinacea purpurea – on C. аlbicans, E. сoli, P. vulgaris, K. рneumonia, Bergenia crassifolia – on P. vulgaris, K. pneumonia and S. typhimurium.