[Investigation of the composition of biologically active substances in extracts of wild plants]

The article presents the research materials of composition and the properties of biologically active compounds of aqueous ethanolic extracts of wild plants. To obtain extracts, we used raw plants containing phenolic compounds and aromatic wild plants: the herb St. John's wort (Hypericum), thyme herba (Thymus vulgaris), yarrow (Achillea millefolium), oregano (Origanum vulgaris); leaves of sage (Salviae folium); rose hips (Rosae), hawthorn fructus (Crataegus) and fruits of mountain ash (Sorbus). The optimum composition of the mixtures used and time of extraction has been established: the ratio of alcohol and water in extracting mixtures 1:1 by volume; ratio raw material:extractant - 1:7 by weight. The total content of fenolic substances in extracts of herbaceous plants varied from to 15.5 to 24.4 mg/g, and in fruit extracts from 24.2 to 29.7 mg/g. Substances of phenolic nature, including gallic and ferulic acid, rutin, hesperidin, quercetin and apigenin were identified in the studied extracts using the HPLC. The analysis of flavonoid composition showed that rutin content in the investigated extracts varied from 0.56 mg/g up to 13,80 mg/g, of quercetin - from 0.52 to 1.36 mg/g; apigenin - from 0.44 to 1.44 mg/g; hesperidin from 2.44 to 32,72 mg/g. The content of phenolic acids varied from 0.16 to 1.44 mg/g (ferulic acid) and from 0.16 to 3.12 mg/g (chlorogenic acid). Total antioxidant activity of the studied phytoextracts (dilution 1:10) ranged from 142 to 230 μg/ml (in terms of ascorbic acid), which is consistent with the results of the quantitative analysis of flavonoids. The results of the studies of antimicrobial properties of phytoextracts showed that for E. coli the most active extracts were from thyme and yarrow, and against S. aureus - from St. John's wort. Extracts of St. John's wort and yarrow were effective against Rhizopus stolonifer.