Investigation of the composition of phenolic compounds, the antiradical activity and the effect on phagocytosis of pine cones dry aqueous extract

Abstract

Pine cone is a new promising type of plant raw material for using in a medical practice. Objective: determination of the phenolic compounds composition of pine cones dry aqueous extract, research of its toxicity, antiradical activity and effect on phagocytosis. Materials and methods. The research object was a collection of pine cones gathered in October 2020. A dry aqueous extract was obtained from the cones by extraction with hot water. The phenolic compounds composition of the pine cones dry aqueous extract was determined by ultra-efficient liquid chromatography/MS on a Waters Acquisition chromatograph with a diode-matrix UV detector and a tandem quadrupole MC detector TQD (Waters). To determine the antiradical activity, a reaction with a stable free radical, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), was used. The acute toxicity of the pine cones dry extract was researched by the V.V. Prozorovsky express method on white non-linear mice. The phagocytic activity of peripheral blood leukocytes was determined in vivo by a modified method. Results. The phenolic compounds composition of the extract was analysed. The research identified 12 substances present in the extract, representing at least 1% of the total area on the chromatogram. The following procyanidins were found in the pine cones extract: procyanidin B2, procyanidin B3, procyanidin C1, procyanidin D1. Additionally, flavonoids and phenolic carboxylic acids were identified. The pine cones dry extract demonstrated pronounced antiradical activity, comparable to that of ascorbic acid. The acute toxicity determination revealed that the LD50 of the researched compounds is in doses greater than 1260 mg/kg. Upon examination of the effect of pine cone extract on the phagocytic activity of peripheral blood leukocytes, an increase in the phagocytic index was observed, yet no change was noted in the activity of total leukocyte phagocytosis. Conclusion. The dry aqueous extract of pine cones contains biologically active components of phenolic nature, which suggests that further research into its pharmacological activity may be promising.