Background: Salvia verbenaca of the Lamiaceae family is a
Mediterranean plant widely used in the Moroccan traditional folk medicine. The
aim of this work was to explore the phytochemical composition of Salvia
verbenaca extracts and its antioxidant activity. Methods: Separation
and identification of the major phytochemicals present in the two hexane and
ethyl acetate explored extracts have been achieved through ultra-high-performance
liquid chromatography separation technique coupled to photodiode array and
high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry detectors. Antioxidant activity
of the obtained extracts was evaluated through DPPH
(2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS
(2,2-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt) assays
and the obtained results were compared to TROLOX
(6-hydroxy2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroman-2-carboxylic acid). Results: Using
the analysis technique indicated above, eighteen phytochemicals belonging to
phenolic acids, phenolic diterpenes and flavonoids have been characterized on the
basis of the obtained UV and mass spectroscopic properties and on the subsequent
fragmentations. The antioxidant activity of the explored extracts showed
potential scavenging activities compared to TROLOX. A detailed discussion of the
attained results has been presented considering the activities observed of each
extract. Conclusions: The research herein presented an analysis
technique allowing to screen Salvia verbenaca phytochemicals. The
explored plant could be considered as a source of functional phenolic compounds.
These could be useful for further pharmacological studies such as new drugs
design after clinic and its safety evaluation. It is thus hoped that the
information presented here might prompt further studies that will possibly lead
to development of therapeutic agents from this plant.
