Leonurus cardiaca is a perennial plant indigenous to central Europe and Scandinavia, but it is also found in the area spanning temperate Russia to central Asia. It has been introduced to North America and has become established locally in the wild. Motherwort (Leonuri cardiacae herba) consists of aerial parts of Leonurus cardiaca gathered during the flowering period, dried at 35 °C and, according to European Pharmacopoeia 7th edition, should contain a minimum of 0.2% flavonoids, expressed as hyperoside. Compounds belonging to the group of monoterpenes, diterpenes, triterpenes, nitrogen- containing compounds, phenylpropanoids, flavonoids and phenolic acids, as well as volatile oils, sterols and tannins, have been identified in motherwort. Traditionally, extracts of the herb have been used internally, mainly for nervous heart conditions and digestive disorders. However, they have also been used for bronchial asthma, climacteric symptoms and amenorrhoea, as well as externally in wounds and skin inflammations. Mild negative chronotropic, hypotonic and sedative effects can be attributed to the herb and preparations thereof. Pharmacological studies have confirmed its antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity, as well as its effects on the heart and the circulatory system. Sedative and hypotensive activity has been demonstrated in clinical trials.

Aims: The aim of this study was to analyse the antimicrobial properties extracts of Aquilegia vulgaris, and their principial flavonoid component and to compare the obtained results with the activity of gentamicin and nystatin. Methods and Results: The ethanol, acetone and isopropanol extracts as well as the subextracts isolated from the methanol extract together with the main flavonoid: 4¢-methoxy-5,7-dihydroxyflavone 6-C-glucoside (isocytisoside) were obtained from the leaves with stems of Aquilegia vulgaris L. All the extracts were analysed by TLC to confirm flavonoids and phenolic acids occurrence. The antimicrobial activity was tested by the method of series dilutions against different Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria and also fungi. The results have shown that the extracts, subextracts and isocytisoside inhibit growth of all studied micro-organisms, revealing the greatest activity against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, Staph. epidermidis and the mould Aspergillus niger. Conclusions:The antimicrobial activity of the tested materials it is possibly related to the content of isocytisoside. Significance and Impact of the Study: This study has determined new activity of A. vulgaris and suggested the necessity of further studies.

We used DPPH scavenging assays to study the antioxidant activity of three native Polish species of blackberry leaves (Rubus kuleszae Ziel., R. fabrimontanus (Sprib.) Sprib. and R. capitulatus Utsch.). All the studied extracts (methanolic, water, methanolic-water) showed high DPPH free radical scavenging activity (IC50 450.0-186.0 μg/ml). The most effective of the studied species was Rubus kuleszae. Total content of phenolic compounds (70.50-136.04 mg GAE/g) and phenolic acids (14.70-38.26 mg CAE/g) was determined spectrophotometrically. Antioxidant activity correlated positively with total content of phenolic compounds and phenolic acids.K Ke ey y w wo or rd ds s: : Rubus, blackberry, leaf extract, antioxidant activity, DPPH, phenolic compounds, phenolic acids.ACTA BIOLOGICA CRACOVIENSIA Series Botanica 54/2: 32-38, 2012 DOI: 10.2478 PL ISSN 0001-5296 © Polish Academy of Sciences and Jagiellonian University, Cracow 2012 INTRODUCTIONThe genus Rubus L. (blackberries/raspberries) comprises almost 700 species, making it the largest genus of the Rosaceae family and one of the most diverse of the plant kingdom (Alice and Campbell, 1999;Zieliński, 2004). Some species such as R. idaeus and R. fruticosus are valuable fruit plants and also used in medicine. The leaves of Rubus plants are known to contain astringent, antibacterial and antifungal agents, recommended internally in diarrhoea and inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Leaf infusions are also used externally for skin lesions and ulcers, and as a rinse in infections of the oral cavity and throat. This use of leaves of Rubus species relies on their high content of hydrolyzing (gallo-and ellagitannins) and condensed (catechins) tannins, and numerous other polyphenols including flavonoids (quercetin and kaempferol derivatives), anthocyanins and phenolic acids, particularly gallic and ellagic acid (Thiem, 2003;Benvenuti et al., 2004;Gudej and Tomczyk, 2004;Patel et al., 2004;Byamukama et al., 2005;Mertz et al., 2007;Ali et al., 2012). Among many possible effects on biological processes in the human body, the antioxidant properties of phenolic compounds are the most important. Many data gathered in recent years indicate the participation of free radical processes in the emergence of such lifestyle diseases as atherosclerosis, heart attack, stroke, cancer, diabetes, senile cataracts and accelerated aging. The presence and distribution of numerous hydroxyl groups in the chemical structure of polyphenols make them excellent antioxidants. They are able to chelate transition metal ions, particularly those of iron and copper, which are involved in initiating free radical chain reactions. They also inhibit the activity of many enzymes participating in the formation of free radicals: for example, xanthine oxidase, responsible for the production of large amounts of reactive oxygen forms during reperfusion, and NADPH oxidase, responsible for the so-called respiratory burst (RiceEvans et al., 1996;Pietta, 2000, Villańo et al., 2007Li et al., 2008).Phytochemical studies of...

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