Comparative study of wild chamomile plants from the north-west of Morocco: Bioactive components and total antioxidant activity

Morocco presents numerous plants due its localization between the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean and the variability of its mountainous terrain, with a rich range of medicinal plants. Cladanthus mixtus (L.) Oberpr. & Vogt and Matricaria chamomilla L., two Asteraceae (Compositae) from Beni Hassane region in north-western Morocco are both used in traditional medicine for the treatment of different ailments. The phenolic and flavonoid contents of roots, stems, leaves, and flowers of both species were determined by using the Folin Ciocalteu and the aluminum chloride methods, respectively. Antioxidant activity of their aqueous and organic compounds was performed applying the robust and widely used method ABTS radical scavenging assay. C. mixtus had a higher phenolic content (115.25 mg GAE g -1 DW) than M. chamomilla (82.99 mg GAE g-1 DW). However, flavonoid content of both plants was very close (33.53 and 32.45 mg QE g-1 DW in M. chamomilla and C. mixtus, respectively). The total phenolic and flavonoid content was high in flowers of both plants. Generally, for all the studied organs of the chosen plants, hydrophilic antioxidant activity was significantly higher than the lipophilic antioxidant activity. The correlation results show that these bioactive components in both plants are the main factor influencing the antioxidant activity. Key words: Cladanthus mixtus, Matricaria chamomilla, Asteraceae, phenolic content, flavonoid content, antioxidant activity.