Volatile constituents and antioxidant capacity of seven Tussilago farfara L. populations in Iran

Abstract Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara L.) from Asteraceae family is a perennial plant. Its flowers and leaves have been used traditionally for the treatment of cough, bronchitis and phlegm disorders. For this study the leaves and flowers of T. farfara were collected from seven major regions of Iran including Firoozkooh, Nur, Deylaman, Kaleybar, Namin, Damavand and Pol-e-Zangholeh. The leaves and flowers were prepared for phytochemical studies. Essential oils of leaves and flowers were obtained and their compositions were identified and quantified with GC/MS and GC, respectively. The major compounds in leaves essential oil were 14-Hydroxy-Z-caryophyllene, α-Cadinol, 4,4-Dimethyl tetracyclo[5.2.1.02,6.03,5]decane, Humulene epoxide II and (E)-Nerolidol. The major compounds in flower essential oil were n-Undecane, n-Tetracosane, Phytol, Hexacosane, n-Tetradecanol, n-Nonadecane and Caryophyllene oxide. The yield of flower essential oil was more than the leaves oil and the highest yield (0.09%) was from the Kaleybar region. Analysis of variance showed that there was a significant difference among population for total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and antioxidant activity (p ≤ 0.01) and positive correlation between the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of extracts was obtained. The leaves extract of Namin showed the highest total flavonoid content with 47.0 mg QE/g dry weight of extract. The Nur's region had the highest total phenolic content with 278.2 mg GAE/g dry weight of extract and the leaves extract of Nur had highest antioxidant activity with IC50 55 μg/ml close to the green tee antioxidant activity (IC50 = 33 μg/ml).