Hepatoprotection of <i>Mentha aquatica</i> L., <i>Lavandula dentata</i> L. and <i>Leonurus cardiaca</i> L.

• Main Authors: Olívia R. Pereira, Rocio I. R. Macias, Maria R. M. Domingues, Jose J. G. Marin, Susana M. Cardoso
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-08-01
• Series: Antioxidants
• Subjects: <i>Mentha</i>; <i>Lavandula</i>; <i>Leonurus</i>; liver diseases; HepG2 cells; antioxidant; phenolic compounds; UHPLC-DAD-ESI-MSⁿ
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/8/8/267

The phenolic composition of hydroethanolic extracts of <i>Mentha aquatica</i> L., <i>Lavandula dentata</i> L. and <i>Leonurus cardiaca</i> L., obtained from plants grown under organic cultivation, was determined and their hepatoprotective effects were investigated in vitro. <i>L. cardiaca</i> extract was rich in phenylethenoid glycosides, especially lavandolifolioside (254 &#177; 36 &#956;g/mg), whereas rosmarinic acid and eriodictyol-<i>O</i>-rutinoside were the major phenolic compounds of <i>L. dentata</i> and <i>M. aquatica</i> extracts, accounting for 68 &#177; 7 &#956;g/mg and 145 &#177; 22 &#956;g/mg, respectively. These differential phenolic components presumably account for their dissimilar antioxidant properties. While <i>L. cardiaca</i> extract showed moderate biological effects, <i>M. aquatica</i> extract displayed high antioxidant activity in chemical models, and that of <i>L. dentata</i> was effective in counteracting potassium dichromate-induced ROS generation in human hepatocarcinoma cells. Moreover, <i>M. aquatica</i> extract (50 &#956;g/mL) and its mixture (50%/50%) with <i>L. dentata</i> extract displayed an effective cytoprotective effect.