Abstract
Yerba-mate (Ilex paraguariensis A. St. Hil., Aquifoliaceae) is a South American native species that is widely used for its industrial potential in the preparation of drinks, teas and cosmetics. Its properties are directly related to the presence of its chemical constituents, such as saponins, methylxanthines and phenolic compounds. This study aimed to investigate the influence of leaf age on methylxanthine and total phenolic contents by High Performance Liquid Chromatography and Ultraviolet Spectroscopy, as well as on free radical scavenging capacity, of aqueous extracts ofI. paraguariensis leaves. The results showed great variability in all the metabolites measured. Leaf ageing significantly increased the methylxanthine content and total phenolic content of the extracts. Free radical scavenging capacity was also significantly affected (p < 0.05) by leaf age. A positive correlation was observed, between the antioxidant activity and total phenolic content.
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Acknowledgments
We thank CNPq and FAPESC for their financial support (FAPESC/CNPq — PRONEM 2771/2012). The authors are also grateful to CNPq and CAPES for their research fellowships, and to Prof. Felipe Dal Pizzol for his assistance in the statistical analysis.
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C.H.B.S. (PhD student) helped in the running of the laboratory work, analysis of the data, and drafted the paper. G.C.C. contributed to the collection of plants sample and their identification, and analysis of the data. F.H.R. and E.P.S. designed the study, super-vised the laboratory work, and contributed to critical reading of the manuscript. All the authors have read the final manuscript and approved the submission.
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Blum-Silva, C.H., Chaves, V.C., Schenkel, E.P. et al. The influence of leaf age on methylxanthines, total phenolic content, and free radical scavenging capacity of Ilex paraguariensis aqueous extracts. Rev. Bras. Farmacogn. 25, 1–6 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjp.2015.01.002
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjp.2015.01.002