Aconitum lycoctonum L.: Phenolic Compounds and Their Bioactivities
Abstract The very first report on the phenolic composition of aerial parts of Aconitum lycoctonum L., a species belonging to the toxic Aconitum genus, is presented here. Aerial parts were subjected to the extraction with four different solvents and analyzed via LC-MS/MS for the content of phenolic acids and flavonoids. Furthermore, isolated extracts were tested for antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. Ethanolic extracts of both flowers and vegetative parts (leaves and stems) were found to be the richest in the phenolic compounds, following the water extracts. Ethanolic extract of flowers was very rich in flavonoid apigenin, while high levels of salicylic and 4-hydroxybenzoic acids were found in the same extract of leaves and stems. On contrary, water extract contained significant amounts of kaempferol and rosmarinic acid. All extracts showed potent antioxidant activity, which is correlated with the content of phenolics. The antimicrobial assay showed that all extracts, except aqueous, were quite potent against all microbial organisms tested.