Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Dec 22;11(1):25.
doi: 10.3390/plants11010025.

Comparative Study on the Phenolic Fingerprint and Antioxidant Activity of Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo L.) Leaves and Fruits

Irena Brčić Karačonji  1   2 , Karlo Jurica  3 , Uroš Gašić  4 , Aleksandra Dramićanin  5 , Živoslav Tešić  5 , Dušanka Milojković Opsenica  5
Affiliations

Comparative Study on the Phenolic Fingerprint and Antioxidant Activity of Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo L.) Leaves and Fruits

Irena Brčić Karačonji et al. Plants (Basel). .

Abstract

The strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L., Ericaceae family) is an evergreen Mediterranean shrub whose leaves and fruits are used in traditional medicine due to their antioxidant, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, diuretic, and antiproliferative properties. The health benefits are mainly attributed to the presence of phenolic compounds. The aim of this study was to compare the phenolic profiles, total phenolic content (TPC), and radical scavenging activity (RSA) of A. unedo leaves and fruits collected at two locations in Croatia. Phenolic profiles were identified using an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatograph (UHPLC) coupled with a hybrid mass spectrometer (LTQ Orbitrap MS). TPC was determined by Folin-Ciocalteu's assay, while RSA was investigated using DPPH reagent. A total of 64 phenolics (60 and 42 compounds in leaves and fruits, respectively) were identified. Hyperoside and flavan-3-ols were predominant compounds in leaves, while gallocatechin and catechin were the major compounds found in fruits. To the authors' knowledge, 16 and 5 phenolics in leaves and fruits, respectively, were reported for the first time. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that UHPLC-LTQ Orbitrap MS could be used to identify which phenolics were able to discriminate samples regarding plant tissue and geographical origin. TPC in leaves and fruits were in the ranges of 67.07-104.74 and 16.78-25.86 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g dried weight (dw), respectively. RSA for leaves and fruits were in the ranges of 408.92-430.98 and 74.30-104.04 μmol Trolox equivalents (TE)/g dw, respectively. The number of identified phenolics was lower in fruits compared to leaves. Such a large number of bioactive phenolics identified and the strong antioxidant activity pointed to A. unedo as a promising health-promoting plant and natural food preservative.

Keywords: Arbutus unedo; Ericaceae; UHPLC-LTQ Orbitrap MS; antioxidant; fruit; leaf; phenolic profile.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Base peak chromatogram of the leaf sample from Mali Lošinj Island. The peak numbers correspond to Table 1.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Principal component analysis (PCA): (A) score plot and (B) loading plot of the samples of Arbutus unedo leaves and fruits.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Díaz-Guerra L., Llorens L., Julkunen-Tiitto R., Nogués I., Font J., González J.A., Verdaguer D. Leaf biochemical adjustments in two Mediterranean resprouter species facing enhanced UV levels and reduced water availability before and after aerial biomass removal. Plant Physiol. Biochem. 2019;137:130–143. doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2019.01.031. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Jurica K., Brčić Karačonji I., Mikolić A., Milojković-Opsenica D., Benković V., Kopjar N. In vitro safety assessment of the strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L.) water leaf extract and arbutin in human peripheral blood lymphocytes. Cytotechnology. 2018;70:1261–1278. doi: 10.1007/s10616-018-0218-4. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Tenuta M.C., Tundis R., Xiao J., Loizzo M.R., Dugay A., Deguin B. Arbutus species (Ericaceae) as source of valuable bioactive products. Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutr. 2019;59:864–881. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2018.1551777. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Morgado S., Morgado M., Plácido A.I., Roque F., Duarte A.P. Arbutus unedo L.: From traditional medicine to potential uses in modern pharmacotherapy. J. Ethnopharmacol. 2018;225:90–102. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2018.07.004. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Dib M.E.A., Allali H., Bendiabdellah A., Meliani N., Tabti B. Antimicrobial activity and phytochemical screening of Arbutus unedo L. J. Saudi Chem. Soc. 2013;17:381–385. doi: 10.1016/j.jscs.2011.05.001. - DOI

LinkOut - more resources