Isolation, identification, and activity evaluation of antioxidant components from Inula viscosa: A bioguided approach

Oxidative stress is linked to several invasive diseases which causes significant clinical and economic impact, therefore, there is a need to develop new antioxidants. The natural products could play an important role in overcoming the current need. In the present work, the antioxidant bioassay-guided fractionation of the ethanolic extract of Inula viscosa leaves (Asteraceae) was performed using DPPH and ABTS assays affording three known compounds, which were successfully characterized as ilicic acid (1), taxifolin (2) and quercetin (3) based on 1D, 2D NMR. Compounds 2 and 3 were identified as the most active, displaying similar or higher potency against ABTS (value 41.27 for quercetin and 142.58 for taxifolin) and similar activity against DPPH (value 41.27 for quercetin and 142.58 for taxifolin) than the well-known reference, ascorbic acid (value 65.36 for quercetin and 58.43 for taxifolin) but less potency than the standard gallic acid. The discussion of SAR of the antioxidant potential revealed that the type of natural product is crucial for the activity and the substitution pattern on the flavonoid skeleton modulate the antioxidant profile. Our findings show that I. viscosa leaves may be a natural source of antioxidants and once again the role of flavonoids health benefits is more strongly endorsed.