Monitoring the antioxidant activity of extracts originated from various Serratula species and isolation of flavonoids from Serratula coronata.

The antioxidant effect of aqueous methanolic herb extracts of Serratula coronata, S. wolffii and S. tinctoria was investigated using both enzyme-dependent and enzyme-independent systems. The extracts displayed concentration-dependent inhibition of lipid peroxidation. Flavonoids and ecdysteroids present in the extracts were evaluated as antioxidant components. The flavonoid-containing fraction of the herb extract of S. coronata was more effective in lipid peroxidation than the ecdysteroid-containing fraction. This paper also reports the isolation of quercetin 3-O-methyl ether, apigenin, luteolin, quercetin, luteolin 4'beta-D-glucoside and quercetin 4'beta-D-glucoside from S. coronata.