Optical Properties and Antioxidant Activity of Water-Ethanolic Extracts from Sempervivum tectorum L. from Bulgaria

Abstract

Sempervivum tectorum L. is an evergreen plant belonging to a large family of the Crassulaceae. The fresh juice of the plant is used as a folk remedy almost exclusively for external purposes. The combination of several instrumental methods—transmission and fluorescence spectroscopy, ICP-MS spectrometry, and assays for the assessment of antioxidant activities were used for the characterization of water-ethanolic extracts from the leaves of Sempervivum tectorum L. with different polarities (ethanol content in the extracts varied between 10% and 95%). The highest total phenolic content was found in the 50% ethanol extract—0.84 ± 0.08 mg GAE/mL. Furthermore, this extract also possessed the highest antioxidant potential evaluated by DPPH and FRAP assays—7.02 ± 0.71 mM TE/mL and 6.15 ± 0.25 mM TE/mL, respectively. High correlation coefficients were found between the total phenolic contents and the antioxidant activities of water-ethanolic extracts from Sempervivum tectorum L. The same is true for the strong relationship between the phenolic contents and the concentrations of Na and K. Most likely, the bioavailable species of elements such as Fe, Zn, Ca, and Mg are mostly aqueous soluble. For all the studied extracts, the toxic element (As, Cd, Pb, Tl, Hg) contents are very much below the permissible limits for pharmaceutical products. On the contrary, the concentrations of compounds such as β-carotene and chlorophyll increase with the increase in ethanol in the extract. Results from this study may be used for the preliminary prognosis of pharmaceutical applications of extracts from Sempervivum tectorum L.

Effect of Sempervivum tectorum Extract on Some Biomarkers of Reproductive Function and Levels of Some Trace Elements in Male Rats Exposed to Aluminum

“…Sempervivum tectorum L., an evergreen plant, known as the common houseleek, is a perennial herb with a dense basal rosette of fleshy sharp-tipped, obovate to oblong leaves having red-colored flowers arranged in terminal cymes [17][18][19]. The houseleek is a drought-resistant plant, native to central and southern Europe, growing on roofs, scree, and weathered rocks, traditionally used fresh rather than dried [18,20]. S. tectorum contains phytochemical compounds such as flavonoids, phenolic acids, and tannins, which possess antioxidant and metal-chelating properties [20][21][22].…”

The Effect of Sempervivum tectorum Extract on Some Biomarkers of Reproductive Function and Levels of Some Trace Elements in Male Rats Exposed to Aluminum

“…Sempervivum tectorum L., an evergreen plant, known as the common houseleek, is a perennial herb with a dense basal rosette of fleshy sharp-tipped, obovate to oblong leaves having the red colored flowers arranged in terminal cymes [17][18][19]. The houseleek is a drought resistant plant, native to central and southern Europe, growing on roofs, scree and weathered rocks, traditionally used fresh rather than dried [18,20]. S. tectorum contains phytochemical compounds such as flavonoids, phenolic acids, and tannins, which possess antioxidant and metal-chelating properties [20][21][22].…”

Antimicrobial Activity of Sempervivum tectorum L. Extract on Pathogenic Bacteria Isolated from Otitis Externa of Dogs

“…Sempervivum tectorum L. is an evergreen plant from the Crassulaceae family [11][12][13]. S. tectorum L. is widely recognized in traditional veterinary medicine, and its juice is still employed as a cooling agent and astringent to treat wounds, burns, insect bites, and the treatment of ear infections in dogs [13][14][15][16].…”

“…S. tectorum L., known as the common houseleek, is a thorny perennial herb with a dense basal rosette of fleshy obovate to oblong, sharp-tipped, bluish-green leaves [11,14,15]. The flowers are arranged in terminal cymes and are a dull red color.…”