Variations of Carnosic acid and Carnosol Concentrations in Ethanol Extracts of Wild Lepechinia salviae in Spring (2008-2011)

摘要

Ethanol extracts from dried leaves of wild Lepechinia salvia (Lindl) Epling, collected during the flowering period (September-November), contained 15% to 25% camosic acid and 2 to 8% camosol, depending on the month of collection. The highest concentration of carnosic acid in extracts was in October, while camosol concentration had a peak in September, which suggests that it is not a product of camosic acid oxidation. A comparison of extracts obtained in September 2008 to 2011 shows that the production of both abietanes increased in years with less winter rainfall and higher temperatures, which induced an early blooming. ECsovalues in DPPH radical scavenging and antiproliferative (CCRF-CEM tumor cells) bioassays confirm that the high bioactivity of the extracts of rosemary, sage and L. salviae does not arise only from camosol and camosic acid. The cytotoxic activity was significantly higher in extracts of L. salviae, probably due to water stress differences between the cultivars and the wild species. These results correlate well with the close phylogenetic relationship between the three species, and their similar medicinal uses.