FLAVONOID DISTRIBUTION IN FOUR VARIETIES OF Ficus deltoidea (JACK)

Abstract

We have previously reported the antioxidant and neuroprotective activities of the aqueous extract of four varieties of Ficus deltoidea (Fd) (Moraceae) namely var kunstleri (Fdvk), var angustifolia (Fdva), var deltoidea (Fdvd) and var intermedia (Fdvi). In this study, flavonoid constituents in aqueous leaf and fig extracts of the four varieties were analyzed and characterized using liquid chromatography mass spectrometer quadrupole-time of flight (LCMS-Q-TOF) via hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) technique. The HCA dendrogram revealed that the abundant flavonoids among the eight samples are epicatechin, quercetin-3-rutinoside, quercetin 5,4'-di-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, myricetin and naringenin. The study found that the distribution of the flavonoids differed between the four varieties and varied within the plant parts. To date, the flavonoid distribution of the different plant parts of the four varieties has not been documented. A positive correlation was observed between flavonoid constituents present and radical scavenging activities of the aqueous extracts.