Variability And Chemical Composition Of Aerials Parts Of Verbena Minutiflora

Verbena minutiflora (Verbenaceae) is popularly consumed as an infusion for the treatment of various diseases. However, so far there is no pharmacological or chemical validation to support its therapeutic applications. Therefore, the analysis of the chemical composition and pharmacological activities of V.minutiflora is crucial. In this study, extracts and infusions of the aerial parts of V.minutiflora (leaves, flowers and stems) were analyzed during four consecutive years. Extracts of leaves and flowers had significantly higher phenolic content and antiradical capacity than stems regardless of the year of collection. The infusions of leaves presented constant composition throughout the studied period with high levels of bioactive compounds and high antioxidant potential. Samples were analyzed by HPLC with photodiode array detector (HPLC-DAD) and by LC-ESI-MS/MS, and the potent antioxidants verbascoside and isoverbascoside (phenylpropanoids) and the iridoid hastatoside were tentatively identified in extracts and infusions of the aerial parts of V.minutiflora. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc