Chemical composition of the silver fir (Abies alba) bark extract Abigenol® and its antioxidant activity

• Silver fir (Abies alba) bark extract was prepared with water, ethyl acetate and PEG.
• Strong antioxidant activity of extract was found in cell-based and cell-free assay.
• Extract was analyzed with normal phase flash chromatography and revered phase HPLC.
• Six phenolic acids, three flavonoids and four lignans were identified in the extract.

Extracts from the bark of different conifer species are known to contain various polyphenols and possess interesting pharmacological activities. So far the most extensive research was done on the antioxidative extract of the maritime pine (Pinus maritima) bark, which is widely used in food supplements and cosmetic products. Here we have shown, that antioxidant activity of silver fir (Abies alba) bark extract is higher than of maritime pine bark extract in cultured cells. Components of the extract were separated with normal phase flash chromatography and reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The structures of individual compounds were identified by mass spectrometry, UV–vis absorption spectroscopy and comparison to reference compounds. Six phenolic acids were identified (gallic, homovanillic, protocatehuic, p-hydroxybenzoic, vanillic and p-coumaric), three flavonoids (catechin, epicatechin and catechin tetramethyl eter) and four lignans (taxiresinol, 7-(2-methyl-3,4-dihydroxytetrahydropyran-5-yloxy)-taxiresinol, secoisolariciresinol and laricinresinol).