Phytochemical components and antioxidant properties of Viscum album growing on Populus alba host tree

Abstract

Viscum album is the parasitic medicinal plant with multiple pharmacological activities belonging to family Loranthaceae. The plant is widely used as in adjunct in cancer chemotherapy in Europe and has other pharmacological properties like antiviral, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory and antihypertensive. The present studies involves identification and characterisation of the phytochemical constituents from the hexane and methanolic extract of the plant by GC-MS analysis and determination of antioxidant potential of the methanolic extract of the plant from Populas alba host tree . Twenty seven and thirty five chemical constituents were identified from the hexane and methanolic extract respectively.  The major constituents from the hexane extract are pentacosane, (6Z, 9Z)-cis-3,4-epoxy-nonadecadiene, palmitic acid, β-amyrin acetate¸ lupeol acetate, heneicosane  and phytol.The major constituents from the methanolic extract include 2,3-Di-O-methyl-D-xylopyranose, monomethyl inositol, 4-O-methylmannose, 4-trichloroacetyloxyimino-2-carene. In addition to that the methanolic extract was subjected to antioxidant evaluation by DPPH and hydroxyl radical scavenging activity. The study provides scientific evidence that the methanolic extract of Viscum album from Populous alba host tree have strong antioxidant properties.