Phytochemical Analysis of the Aerial Part of Golden Dock (<i>Rumex Maritimus</i> L.)

Abstract

Introduction. Golden dock ( Rumex maritimus L., Polygonaceae ) is used as a medicinal and food plant in Asian countries. The plant contains phytochemicals of various classes: flavonoids, tannins, anthraquinones etc. Plant extracts exhibit antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, astringent activity, and have antidiabetic potential. The plant is annual, and most of the biologically active substances accumulate in its aboveground organs. An important problem is the standardization of Rumex maritimus and the development of regulatory documentation for its the introduction to medical practice. Aim. To conduct phytochemical analysis of the aerial part of golden dock. Materials and methods. Air-dried aerial part of Rumex maritimus collected at flowering and beginning of fruiting stage, as well as individual above-ground organs (leaves, flowers, fruits, stems), were used for obtaining the extracts. Qualitative analysis of the extracts was carried out using reverse phase HPLC. The relative content of the components in the mixture was calculated by the method of simple normalization. Total content of free anthraquinones and anthraglycosides in terms of chrysophanic acid was determined using spectrophotometric method after acid hydrolysis. Total tannin content was calculated by titrimetric method. Results and discussion. Flavonoids isoquercetin and avicularin were first discovered in the aerial part of Rumex maritimus . The dominant component of the plant is rutin. Chrysophanol predominates among anthraquinones. The highest concentration of anthraquinones (2.80 ± 0.04 %) was found in flowers. Tannins accumulate mainly in leaves (9.97 ± 0.02 %). A significant amount of tannins (6.60 ± 0.03 %) and anthracene derivatives (1.96 ± 0.03 %) is contained in the whole aerial part. Conclusion. Phytochemical analysis of the aerial part of Rumex maritimus showed the presence of a significant amount of anthraquinones. As a plant raw material it is proposed to use the herb of Rumex maritimus . Standardization is recommended for anthraquinones in terms of chrysophanic acid (at least 1.5 %).