Comparison of phytochemical composition of medicinal plants by means of chromatographic and related techniques

In this article a comparative study results on amount of biologically active compounds and composition of raw material of diploidal medicinal plants of threelobe beggarticks (Bidens tripartita L.), fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.), milk thistle (Silybum marianum L.) and marigold (Calendula officinalis L.) and experimentally created their polyploidal meristems are presented. The total content of phenolics and flavonoids in the plant methanolic extracts was analyzed spectrophotometrically. Antioxidant activity was determined and expressed in percents of conjugated DPPH radical. For quantitative and qualitative analysis CE, HPLC and GC-MS methods were used. Antioxidant activity of experimentally created polyploidal forms extracts comparing to reference samples in all cases was higher except extracts of Silybum marianum L. It was obtained, that primary diploidal and created polyploidal forms of medicinal plants investigated differ not only in quantitative composition but also in qualitative composition.