Phytosterols of stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.)

Kopriva sadrži niz biološki aktivnih komponenti u svim dijelovima biljke, čineći ju poželjnom sirovinom za mnoge industrije (farmakološka, prehrambena). Korijen koprive sadrži fitosterole te se zbog povoljnih učinaka koristi kao diuretik i kod problema s prostatom (benigna hiperplazija prostate). Razni čimbenici kao što su klima, tlo, vrijeme branja i dr. utječu na kemijski sastav koprive, stoga je cilj ovoga istraživanja bio izolirati sterole iz uzoraka korijena koprive ubranih na više lokacija u RH te uz primjenu plinske kromatografije (GC-FID, GC-MS) odrediti njihov sastav i koncentracije u uzorcima. Udio ukupnih sterola u uzorcima kretao se od 0,66-0,97 g kgˉ¹ te su se uzorci međusobno razlikovali u udjelu ukupnih sterola obzirom na lokaciju staništa. Također, u svim uzorcima su identificirani sljedeći steroli: kampesterol, kampestanol, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, Δ5-avenasterol, lanosterol, cikloartenol, 24-metilen cikloartenol, etilkolestenol i citrostadienol. Najzastupljeniji sterol u svim uzorcima bio je β-sitosterol, prosječne vrijednosti 79,25 %.Stinging nettle contains a large number of biologically active compounds in all parts of the plant, therefore being a desirable raw material for applications in different industries (pharmacological, food). Nettle root is a source of phytosterols and due to its positive effects is recommended as a diuretic and for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Different factors affect the chemical composition of stinging nettle such as climate, soil, harvest time, etc. Therefore, the aim of this study was to isolate the sterols from roots of stinging nettle collected from different parts of Croatia and to determine the composition of sterols as well as their content by gas cromatography (GC-FID, GC-MS). Total sterols content was determined in the range of 0,66-0,97 g kgˉ¹ and samples differentiated in total sterols content upon habitat location. Furthermore, following sterols were isolated from all samples: campesterol, campestanol, stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, Δ5-avenasterol, lanosterol, cycloartenol, 24-methylene cycloartenol, ethylcholestenol and citrostadienol. The most abundant sterol in all samples was β-sitosterol, in average content of 79,25%