Comparative Study of Balkan Sideritis Species from Albania, Bulgaria and Macedonia

Background: Sideritis scardica and S. raeseri are very popular medicinal plants in Albania, Macedonia, and Bulgaria.

Objective: Comparison of the phenolic, flavonoid, and diterpene contents and detailed chemical profiles, as well as data on antioxidant activity, comprising plant material from different locations in the Balkan Peninsula.

Materials and Methods: Total phenolic and flavonoid contents for the studied Sideritis samples were determined spectrophotometrically. By HPLC-DAD-ESI-MSn analysis, 48 individual phenolic constituents were completely or tentatively identified. Chemical profiling of Sideritis major diterpenes and their quantification was performed by HPLC-ESI-MSD TOF analysis. A combination of two methods (ORAC and DPPH) was applied for evaluation of the antioxidant capacity of Sideritis extracts.

Results: The results obtained demonstrated that Sideritis samples (S. scardica and S. raeseri) collected from Albania, Bulgaria and Macedonia are similar in their chemical profiles (they all contain phenylethanoid glycosides, flavonoid 7-O-diglycosides and acetylated flavonoid 7-O-diglycosides, and diterpenes: main components siderol and sideridiol); and antioxidant activity. Although some differences exist, they are not essential.

Conclusion: This fact is a good basis for the formulation of range for parameters for quality control of Sideritis extracts and plant material. The studied cultivated plant material is similar in its chemical composition, profile and antioxidant activity to the wild growing samples.