Phenolic Combination and Comparison of Antioxidant Activity in Three Different Alcoholic Extracts of Dracocephalum moldavica L.

Abstract

Dracocephalum moldavica L. has been used as both treatment of coronary heart disorders and food supplements. In the present study, determination of total phenolic and flavonoid content in methanol, ethanol and methanol/ethanol extracts of leaf was studied in Iranian Moldavian balm for the first time. Antioxidant activity of the studied plant was also measured. The methanol extract had the highest phenolic and flavonoid content, anthocyanin, DPPH and H2O2 radical scavenging activity. The ethanol extract showed the least amount of all. The methanol/ethanol extract showed the highest amount in two oxides including nitric and superoxide radical scavenging activities; it also showed the highest Ferric Reducing Ability Power. The obtained chromatograms of the plant using High Performance Liquid Chromatography showed that the highest and the lowest found phenolic compounds were caffeic acid and vanilic acid, respectively. The results show that this plant is a suitable natural antioxidant to reduce the oxidative stress in human being.