Biologically active compounds in selected Sempervivoideae (Sedoideae) cultivated in Western Siberia

Abstract

Although representative species of the Ochitaceae subfamily (Sedoideae) have long been used as medicinal plants, the biochemical composition of most species remains understudied. This hinders their use in pharmacology and medicine. This study quantifies the content of the main groups of biologically active substances in the aboveground part of the Sempervivoideae at the beginning and end of the vegetation period. Freshly harvested vegetative shoots of the following species (raw materials) were examined: Aizopsis aizoon (L.) Grulich, Aizopsis hybrida (L.) Grulich, Aizopsis kurilensis (Vorosch.) S. Gontch., Hylotelephium ewersii (Ledeb.) H. Ohba, Sedum acre L., Sedum album L., Sedum hispanicum L., Sedum reflexum L., Sedum rupestre L. and Sedum spurium M. Bieb. Conventional methods of phytochemical analysis were used. The solid content was determined by drying 1 g of raw materials to a constant weight. The amount of phenolic compounds, pectin substances and total sugars was determined by the spectrophotometric method in ethanolic extracts by calculating the indicators relative to the solid mass of the raw materials. Titrimetric analysis was used to determine the concentration of ascorbic acid in the wet weight of the raw material. The content of solid (7.22–18.98%), catechins (0.14–6.01 mg%), flavonols (0.59–3.11%), tannins (4.44–26.73%), pectins (0.14–3.51%), protopectins (3.10–11.82%), total sugars (10.25–57.96%) and ascorbic acid (43.4–94.4 mg%) was determined. The tendency to accumulate phenolic compounds, sugars and solids, along with a decrease in the content of pectin polysaccharides, by the end of the vegetation was revealed. The results indicate the potential for the cultivation of Sempervivoideae as a source of various bioactive compounds.