Flavonoids from Achillea nobilis L

Area of Science:

• Phytochemistry
• Natural Products Chemistry
• Organic Chemistry

Background:

• Achillea species are known for their diverse phytochemical profiles.
• Flavonoids are a significant class of plant secondary metabolites with various biological activities.
• Detailed chemical investigations are crucial for understanding the medicinal potential of plants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a comprehensive phytochemical analysis of the methanolic extract of Achillea nobilis aerial parts.
• To isolate and characterize flavonoid compounds present in the plant extract.
• To identify novel flavonoid structures and rare glycosides.

Main Methods:

• Extraction of aerial parts of Achillea nobilis using methanol.
• Isolation of compounds using chromatographic techniques.
• Structure elucidation using UV, 1H NMR, 13C NMR (including 2D-NMR), and ESI-MS.
• Comparison with authentic samples for structural confirmation.

Main Results:

• Isolation of ten flavonoids from the methanolic extract.
• Identification of a new C-glycosylflavone: luteolin-6-C-apiofuranosyl-(1-->2)-glucoside.
• Characterization of known flavonoids: orientin, isoorientin, vitexin, isoschaftoside, luteolin-7-O-beta-glucuronide, luteolin-4'-O-beta-glucoside, and quercetin-3-O-methyl ether.
• Identification of two rare flavonol glycosides: quercetin-3-O-alpha-arabinosyl-(1-->6)-glucoside and quercetin-3-O-methylether-7-O-beta-glucoside.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully identified and characterized ten flavonoids from Achillea nobilis.
• A novel C-glycosylflavone was discovered, expanding the known flavonoid diversity in this species.
• The findings contribute to the chemotaxonomic understanding of the Achillea genus and provide a basis for further pharmacological investigations.