A comparative pharmacognostic study and assesment of antioxidant capacity of three species from plantago genus

Abstract

This paper presents a comparative pharmacognostic study of three species from Plantago genus (Plantago media L., Plantago major L., Plantago lanceolata L.) and assessment of their antioxidant capacity. First time reported microscopic data of P. media leaves revealed the presence of multicellular covering trichomes, stalked glandular trichomes, anomocytic and diacityc stomatal type. The phytochemical analysis showed that P. media leaves had the highest content of polysaccharides (24.43%) and total polyphenols (28.91 mg GAE/g dw), whereas P. lanceolata leaves were the richest source of chlorophyll (40.38 mg/L). Antioxidant activity of ethanol extracts from Plantago leaves were characterized by DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate) scavenging test, CUPRAC (cupric reducing antioxidant capacity) and FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) assays. All extracts showed significant antioxidant efficacy and among them P. media extracts exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity in the three methods.