Characterization of phenolic compounds of Arnica montana conventional extracts

Arnica montana L. (Asteraceae family) is a plant commonly used in traditional medicine and several reports have characterized their bioactives, especially phenolic compounds. These compounds are well known for their numerous beneficial biological properties. In consequence, industry from the feed, food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical sectors are seeking extracts with high content in phenolic compounds that could be interesting for the development of bio-based applications. The objective of the present study was to characterize the phenolic profile of this species, as a first step for further optimization studies to obtain the highest amount of phenolic compounds. Therefore, A. montana was extracted with ethanol:water 80:20 (v/v) at room temperature during 1 hour and phenolic compounds were identified and quantified through HPLC (HPLC Dionex Ultimate 3000) coupled to a mass detector (TSQ Quantis). In the extract, up to nine phenolics were identified, belonging to different groups, namely: eriodictyol-O-glucuronide (flavanone), hispidulin and luteolin (flavones), kaempferol, 6-methoxykaempferol, quercetin-3-O-glucuronide (flavonols), quinic, caffeoylquinic and caffeic acids (hydroxycinnamic acids). However, only four of them could be quantified: 6-methoxykaempferol and the three hydroxycinnamic acids. The total phenolic content (mg/g of dry sample) was estimated in 27,34 mg/g, being the major compound caffeoylquinic acids (79,5 % of the total phenolics). It has been demonstrated that caffeoylquinic acids present anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential, which have been linked to several beneficial effects. Thus, obtaining rich phenolics extracts of A. montana may display significant biological properties and could be a new ingredient for developing new applications in nutraceutical, cosmetic or pharmaceutical industries.