Antioxidant Capacity of Abietanes from Sphacele Salviae

Abstract

Carnosol 1 , rosmanol 2 , carnosic acid 3 and 20-deoxocarnosol 4 , the main phenolic abietanes present in aerial parts of the Chilean medicinal plant Sphacele salviae were tested for antioxidant activity of measuring the decay of the radical cation diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). All compounds displayed higher antioxidant levels than BHT under the same conditions and carnosic acid was more efficient than vitamin E.