PHENOL COMPOUNDS AND ANTI-RADICAL ACTIVITY OF WATER-ALCOHOL EXTRACTS OF SILVER SPEEDWELL (VERONICA INCANA L.)

Speedwell is the largest genus of flowering plants in the plantain family (Plantaginaceae Juss.). The most common species of speedwell are Veronica incana L. (silver speedwell), Veronica spicata L. (spiced speedwell), and Veronica longifolia L. (long-leaved speedwell). In traditional medicine, many species of speedwell are used to treat inflammatory and infectious diseases. Extracts of plants of the genus speedwell possess antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, and antiexudative activity. This study examines the phenolic composition and antiradical activity of hydroalcoholic extracts of the aerial parts of silver speedwell, which grows near Krasnoyarsk. Silver speedwell is a Eurasian species with a wide range, grows in Siberia. The total content of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and tannins was determined spectrophotometrically in aqueous and aqueous-alcoholic extracts of the aerial parts of silver speedwell with ethanol concentrations of 20%, 40%, 70%, and 95%. The antiradical activity of the extracts was also determined spectrophotometrically by reaction with the stable radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl. The total content of phenolic compounds in the studied extracts has similar values, ranging from 0.70% to 0.80%. The greatest amount of flavonoids is extracted with 70% and 40% ethyl alcohol (1.02% and 0.99%, respectively), and the maximum amount of tannins (5.41%) is extracted with 70% alcohol. The 70% ethanol extract contains the highest amounts of flavonoids, tannins, and phenolic compounds. The 20% ethanol extract and the aqueous extract exhibit the greatest antiradical activity.