Article · Volume 9, Issue 2 · pp. 83–87
Gallic Acid Radical Generation in Aromatic Plants: A Combined EPR and UV-Vis Spectroscopic Approach
Evangelos Giannakopoulos1, Georgios Salachas2, Angelos Papasavvas3, Dimitra Hela4
- 1School of Science and Technology, Hellenic Open University, Patras, GREECE..
- 2Department of Agriculture, Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Patra, Mesologhi, GREECE.
- 3Department Greenhouses Crops and Floriculture, Labortaroy of Plant Physiology, Technological Education Institute of Mesolonghi, Mesolonghi, GREECE..
- 4Department of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, GREECE..
Abstract
Objectives: In the present work, five aromatic plants: Origanum vulgare L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., Ocimum basilicum L.,Salvia officinalis L. and Achillea millefolium L., are examined in order to determine Gallic Acid (GA) radical generation in them by UV-Vis and EPR spectroscopy.Methods: The phenol content of plant extracts was estimated at 280 nm by deconvolution of UV-Vis spectra using a GA calibration curve whilst the radical activity was quantitated by EPR Spectroscopy at 77 Kelvin using the stable free radical DPPH● as a reference.Results: The radical activity ranged from 7 × 1012 spins in O. vulgare L. to 2.2 × 1013 spins inO. basilicum L. of DPPH●/g sample whilst the phenol content as GA ranged from 28.1 mg of GA/g sample in O. vulgare L. to 65.2 mg of GA/g sample in A. millefolium L. Moreover, EPR spectra showed that all samples contain stable radical signals with g-values 2.0046–49 and a line width of 3–5 Gauss. These are characteristic for π-type semiquinone radicals of GA compounds with the unpaired electron partially on the oxygen atom of the phenolic ring radicals.Conclusion: These significant differences between the UV-Vis and EPR measurements reveal that the stabilization of the radical fraction, type GA● in aromatic plants is a combined result of aromatic species and local effects; namely, phenolic groups and aromatic environment.
Keywords: Antioxidant activity; Redox-active polyphenols; Deconvolution analysis
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