Pigments, phenolics, and bioactivities of various extracts from flowers of Camellia quephongensis

Abstract

Camellia quephongensis Hakoda et Ninh, a plant species in the Theaceae family, is native to Vietnam. In this study, the effects of various solvents used for extracting Camellia quephongensis flowers on phenolic content, antioxidative, and in vitro anti-inflammatory activities were assessed. The highest total phenolic and flavonoid contents and antioxidant properties were observed for the ethyl acetate extract. Catechin and epicatechin in the ethyl acetate extract showed the highest concentrations (17.23 ? 0.57 mg/g and 3.86 ? 0.42 mg/g, respectively) whereas epigallocatechin gallate had the highest concentration in methanol extract (10.66 ? 0.33 mg/g). Most of the other phenolics were also found at greater concentrations in the ethyl acetate extract in comparison to the other extracts. The results also demonstrated that ethyl acetate displayed the strongest antioxidant potential assessed by ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging assays. The albumin denaturation inhibition assay showed that the ethyl acetate extract had the greatest efficacy, followed by the ethanol and methanol extracts. Chlorophyll and carotenoids were found in smaller amounts compared to those in other Camellia species' leaves. These findings provide deeper insights into obtaining extracts with high levels of bioactive compounds, antioxidative potential, and anti-inflammatory effects from C. quephongensis.