Antioxidant and Bioactive Potential of Rheum ribes L. Flowers: A Comprehensive Study on Secondary Metabolites and Volatile Compounds

Year 2025, Volume: 31 Issue: 3, 690 - 695, 29.07.2025

Halil İbrahim Binici

https://doi.org/10.15832/ankutbd.1558025

Abstract

Many antioxidants and therapeutic properties of Rheum ribes L., a rich medicinal plant in Türkiye, have been studied. However, little attention has been given to the compounds present in the flowers of Rheum ribes L.. The aim of this research was to comprehensively assess the antioxidant activity, secondary metabolites, and volatile compounds present in the flowers of Rheum ribes L.. The total phenolic content, total flavonols, total flavonoids, DPPH and ABTS values of the Rheum ribes L. flowers were 19.94 mg GAE/g, 1.09 mg QE/g, 7.31 mg QE/g, 15.89 mM TEAC/g and 5.05 mM TEAC/g, respectively. Very high amounts of rutin and gallic acid were found as secondary metabolites. High levels of heptacosane (31.81%), 17-pentatriacontene (15.05%), octatriacontyl pentafluoropropionate (8.33%), and oleic acid (7.75%) were idetified as volatile components. Briefly, this study investigated the identification of key secondary metabolites, such as rutin and gallic acid, as well as volatile components, highlighting the potential for discovering new bioactive compounds that could contribute to the development of natural herbal medicines.

Keywords

Rheum ribes L. flowers , Bioactive compounds , Secondary metabolites and volatile compounds

References

• Abedi F, Hayes A W, Reiter R & Karimi G (2020). Acute lung injury: The therapeutic role of Rho kinase inhibitors. Pharmacological research 155: 104736. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phrs.2020.104736
• Almaraz-Abarca N, da Graça Campos M, Avila-Reyes J A, Naranjo-Jimenez N, Corral J H & Gonzalez-Valdez L S (2007). Antioxidant activity of polyphenolic extract of monofloral honeybee-collected pollen from mesquite (Prosopis juliflora, Leguminosae). Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 20(2): 119-124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2006.08.001
• Alwazeer D, Elnasanelkasim M A, Çiğdem A, Kanmaz H, Hayaloglu A A & Hancock J T (2023). Hydrogen incorporation into solvents can improvethe extraction of phenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanins, and antioxidants: A case-study using red beetroot. Industrial Crops and Products, 202, 117005. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2023.117005
• Binici H İ, Şat İ G & Yilmaz B (2024). Comparison of antioxidant, phenolic profile, melatonin, and volatile compounds of some selected plant samples. Food Science & Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.4334
• do Rosário Bronze M, Figueira M E & Mecha E (2012). Flavonoids and its contribution to a healthier life. In Handbook on Flavonoids: Dietary Sources, Properties and Health Benefits (pp. 197-247). Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
• Can H, Güven L, Miloğlu F D & Abd El-Aty A M (2024). Development and validation of a UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of organic acids and phenolic compounds in Filipendula vulgaris, Polygonum divaricatum, Hypericum linarioides, and Rheum ribes. Microchemical Journal, 201, 110683. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.microc.2024.110683
• Castellari M, Versari A, Spinabelli U, Galassi S & Amati A (2000). An improved HPLC method for the analysis of organic acids, carbohydrates, and alcohols in grape musts and wines. Journal of liquid chromatography & related technologies, 23(13), 2047-2056. https://doi.org/10.1081/JLC-100100472
• Chang W T, Huang S C, Cheng H L, Chen S C & Hsu C L (2021). Rutin and gallic acid regulates mitochondrial functions via the SIRT1 pathway in C2C12 myotubes. Antioxidants 10(2): 286. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox10020286
• Gülçin İ, Elmastaş M, & Aboul-Enein H Y (2012). Antioxidant activity of clove oil–A powerful antioxidant source. Arabian Journal of chemistry 5(4): 489-499. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arabjc.2010.09.016
• Hsu C L & YenG C (2008). Phenolic compounds: evidence for inhibitory effects against obesity and their underlying molecular signaling mechanisms. Molecular nutrition & food research, 52(1), 53-61. https://doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.200700393
• Hsu C L, Huang S L & Yen G C (2006). Inhibitory effect of phenolic acids on the proliferation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes in relation to their antioxidant activity. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 54(12): 4191-4197. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf0609882
• Hwong C S, Leong K H, Aziz A A, Junit S M, Noor S M & Kong K W (2022). Alternanthera sessilis: Uncovering the nutritional and medicinal values of an edible weed. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 298, 115608. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2022.115608 Kadıoğlu B & Kadıoğlu S (2021). Medicinal and aromatic plants consumption habits of consumers in the coronavirus pandemic. Atatürk Üniversitesi Ziraat Fakültesi Dergisi 52(3): 325-334. https://doi.org/10.17097/ataunizfd.860913
• Kaskoos R A & Ahamad J (2022). Analysis of Chemical Composition by GC/MS and Assessment of Anticancer Activity of Rhubarb (Rheum ribes Linn.) Stalks. https://doi.org/10.48165/10.5958/0974-4517.2022.00049.0
• Kaya H, Tokgöz H B, Unal R & Altan F (2023). The effects of the Rheum ribes plant extract on inflammation, extracellular matrix remodeling, and obesity suggest a therapeutic potential. Molecular Biology Reports 50(6): 5223-5232. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-023-08478-2
• Keser S, Keser F, Karatepe M, Kaygili O, Tekin S, Turkoglu I & Sandal S (2020). Bioactive contents, in vitro antiradical, antimicrobial and cytotoxic properties of rhubarb (Rheum ribes L.) extracts. Natural product research, 34(23): 3353-3357. https://doi.org/10.1080/14786419.2018.1560294
• Köksal E, Gülçin İ, Öztürk Sarıkaya S B & Bursal E (2009). On the in vitro antioxidant activity of silymarine. Journal of Enzyme Inhibition and Medicinal Chemistry 24(2): 395-405. https://doi.org/10.1080/14756360802188081
• Kumar D, Karthik M & Rajakumar R (2018). GC‒MS analysis of bioactive compounds from ethanolic leaves extract of Eichhornia crassipes (Mart) Solms. and their pharmacological activities. Pharma Innov J, 7(8): 459-462
• Lubbe A & Verpoorte R (2011). Cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants for specialty industrial materials. Industrial crops and products 34(1): 785-801. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2011.01.019
• Meral R (2017). Farklı sıcaklık derecelerin uşkun bitkisinin antioksidan aktivitesi ve fenolik profili üzerine etkisi, Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Tarım Bilimleri Dergisi 27(1): 88-94. https://doi.org/10.29133/yyutbd.285999
• Mısır S, Özbek M & Hepokur C (2023). Bioactive Composition, Antioxidant, And Cytotoxic Activities of Rheum Ribes Extracts: Rheum ribes ekstraktlarının çeşitli biyolojik aktiviteleri. Turkish Journal of Agriculture-Food Science and Technology 11(8): 1345-1350. https://doi.org/10.24925/turjaf.v11i8.1345-1350.6023
• Reducing Özli S, Senol O & Karaoğlan E S (2024). Evaluating the Antioxidant Capacity of Rheum Ribes via Cupric Reducing Antioxidant Capacity, Ferric Antioxidant Power and 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl Methods. Pharmata 4(1): 14-18. https://doi.org/10.5152/Pharmata.2024.23030
• Öztürk M, Aydoğmuş-Öztürk F, Duru M E & Topçu G (2007). Antioxidant activity of stem and root extracts of Rhubarb (Rheum ribes): An edible medicinal plant. Food chemistry 103(2): 623-630. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2006.09.005 Özyurt M, Kopar H, Özyurt S, Demirhan İ & Kurutas E B (2021). Menengiç, Işgın ve Çiriş Otu’nda Antioksidan Aktivitenin Araştırılması. Kahramanmaraş Sütçü in İmam Üniversitesi Tarım ve Doğa Dergisi 24(4): 733-737. https://doi.org/10.18016/ksutarimdoga.vi.819974
• Pari L & Saravanan R (2007). Beneficial effect of succinic acid monoethyl ester on erythrocyte membrane bound enzymes and antioxidant status streptozotocin–nicotinamide induced type 2 diabetes. Chemico-Biological Interactions 169(1): 15-24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbi.2007.04.010
• Prasathkumar M, Anisha S, Dhrisya C, Becky R & Sadhasivam S (2021). Therapeutic and pharmacological efficacy of selective Indian medicinal plants–a review. Phytomedicine Plus 1(2): 100029. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phyplu.2021.100029
• Sahu M K & Singh G (2022). Structural identification through GC mass spectrophotometer and determine anti lithiotic activity of Hibiscus rosa sinensis by using ethylene glycol induced method. Journal of Medicinal Pharmaceutical and Allied Sciences 11(1): 4244-4249. Doi: 10.55522/jmpas.V11I1.1575
• Saravanan R & Pari L (2006). Succinic acid monoethyl ester prevents oxidative stress in streptozotocin-nicotinamide-induced type2 diabetic rats. Journal of Basic and Clinical Physiology and Pharmacology 17(2): 115-132. doi.org/10.1515/JBCPP.2006.17.2.115
• Şat İ G, Genç B & Binici H İ (2023). Kahvaltılık Yeni Bir Ürün: Işkın (Rheum Ribes L.) Reçeli. Gıda 48(2): 445-458. https://doi.org/10.15237/gida.GD22119
• Shashirekha M N, Mallikarjuna S E & Rajarathnam S (2015). Status of bioactive compounds in foods, with focus on fruits and vegetables. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 55(10): 1324-1339. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2012.692736
• Singh P & Rawat M S M (2016). Phytochemistry and biological activity perspectives of Rheum species. The natural products journal, 6(2): 84-93. https://doi.org/10.2174/2210315506666151208212726
• Spada P D, de Souza G G N, Bortolini G V, Henriques J A & Salvador M (2008). Antioxidant, mutagenic, and antimutagenic activity of frozen fruits. Journal of Medicinal Food 11(1): 144-151. https://doi.org/10.1089/jmf.2007.598
• Taşkın T & Bulut G (2019). Qualitative and quantitative phytochemical analysis and in vitro biological activity of Rheum ribes L. different parts. Istanbul Journal of Pharmacy 49(1): 7-13. doi: 10.26650/IstanbulJPharm.2019.18012
• Weng C J & Yen G C (2012). Flavonoids, a ubiquitous dietary phenolic subclass, exert extensive in vitro anti-invasive and in vivo antimetastatic activities. Cancer and Metastasis Reviews 31: 323-351. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10555-012-9347-y
• Yadav P, Chauhan A K, Singh R B, Khan S & Halabi G (2022). Organic acids: microbial sources, production, and applications. In Functional foods and nutraceuticals in metabolic and noncommunicable diseases (pp. 325-337). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12 819815-5.00053-7
• Yen G C, Chen Y C, Chang W T & Hsu C L (2011). Effects of polyphenolic compounds on tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-induced changes of adipokines and oxidative stress in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 59(2): 546-551. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf1036992
• Yolbaş İ (2024). Phenolic Compound Content and Antioxidant Activity of Rheum ribes Shells. Journal of Chemistry, 2024(1): 9151180. https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/9151180
• Youssef K M & Mokhtar S M (2014). Effect of drying methods on the antioxidant capacity, color and phytochemicals of Portulaca oleracea L. leaves. Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences 4(6): 1. doi: 10.4172/2155-9600.1000322
• Zhang X A, Zhang S, Yin Q & Zhang J (2015). Quercetin induces human colon cancer cells apoptosis by inhibiting the nuclear factor-kappa B Pathway. Pharmacognosy magazine 11(42): 404. doi: 10.4103/0973-1296.153096