Flavonoid profile and antioxidant properties of Algerian common yew (Taxus baccata L.)

Abstract

Abstract Background In humans, various diseases are associated with the accumulation of free radicals. The antioxidants can scavenge free radicals and reduce their impact; thus, the search for effective natural antioxidants of plant origin is indispensable. The present study aims to determine, for the first time, the flavonoid compounds profile and to investigate the free radical scavenging and antioxidant properties of the methanolic extract of Taxus baccata L. from Algeria. Methods The determination of the flavonoid compound profile of the methanolic extract of Taxus baccata L. was established using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection coupled to electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–DAD–ESI–MS/MS). The total flavonoid content (TFC) was performed according to the aluminum chloride colorimetric method, while the free radical scavenging and antioxidant activities were carried out using three methods, namely 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical assay, 2,2'-azino-bis3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) radical assay and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) Assay. Results A total of 26 compounds including flavon-3-ols, flavanonols, flavones, flavonols and bioflavonoids were characterized and identifiedusing HPLC–DAD–ESI–MS/MS analysis, five were reported for the first time such as taxifolin, apigenin, apigenin 7-O-glucoside, isorhamnetin 3-O-rutinoside and robustaflavone. The plant extract exhibited high total flavonoid content (TFC = 204.26 ± 6.02 mg RE/g dry extract) which corresponded to its strong radical scavenging activities [(DPPH IC50 = 35.31 ± 0.29 µg/ml and ABTS IC50 = 8.27 ± 0.52 µg/ml)] as compared to the synthetic antioxidant BHT [(DPPH IC50 = 78.96 ± 5.70 µg/ml and ABTS IC50 = 13.56 ± 0.06 µg/ml)]. However, the methanolic extract of T. baccata showed the lowest ferric reducing ability as compared to the positive controls (BHT, BHA, ascorbic acid, trolox and quercetin). Conclusion Our results imply that the Taxus Baccata L. might be a potential source for the isolation of natural antioxidant compounds.