Characterization of phenolic compounds in wild medicinal flowers from Portugal by HPLC–DAD–ESI/MS and evaluation of antifungal properties

Abstract

In the present work, the phenolic compounds of Castanea sativa, Filipendula ulmaria and Rosa micrantha flowers from Northeastern Portugal were characterized by HPLC–DAD–ESI/MS. Furthermore, it was performed a screening of their antifungal potential against Candida species (Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Candida parapsilosis and Candida tropicalis).

C. sativa sample gave the highest amount of phenolic compounds (18973 ± 40 μg/g, fw) and hydrolysable tannins (14873 ± 110 μg/g). The highest amounts of phenolic acids (569 ± 20 μg/g) and flavonoids (6090 ± 253 μg/g) were obtained in F. ulmaria and R. micrantha samples, respectively. Hydrolysable tannins (e.g. tri and digalloyl HHDP glucose) were the main group of phenolic compounds in C. sativa and F. ulmaria samples, while flavonoids (e.g. (+)-catechin and procyanidin dimers and trimers) were the most abundant group in R. micrantha. Thus, the stronger effect showed by this latter against all the Candida species (MIC ≤ 0.155 mg/mL) and, particularly its fungicide effects in C. glabrata, might be related to the mentioned flavonoids that were inexistence in the other samples.