Phytogeographical profiling of ivy leaf (Hedera helix L.)

Leaves of Hedera helix L. have been widely used for the treatment of productive cough and chronic inflammatory bronchitis. The pharmacological effect may be caused by the presence of many active compounds which also may show additively or synergistically action. The quality of raw material, as well as, the pharmacological activity strongly depends on the phytochemical composition thus, phytoprofiling and phytochemical markers identification are essential for the standardization of herbal materials for comprehensive characterization of herbal drugs. The aim of this comparative investigation was to determine the composition of flavonoids, phenolic acids, triterpene saponins, amino acids, and individual fast-acting antioxidants in H. helix leaf samples collected from different climatic and environmental regions of Europe. The determined predominant phenolic compounds and radical scavengers were 3,5-caffeoylquinic acid and chlorogenic acid corresponding up to 80 percent of total radical scavenging activity. These compounds could be chosen as analytical markers. The results have revealed two major phytogeographical groups with characteristic phytochemical composition: the central part and the southern part growing sites, with latter having significantly lower amounts of all compounds tested. The determined patterns of bioactive compounds suggest distinct chemotypes with characteristic phenolic acid, flavonoid, triterpene saponin, and amino acid complexes. Developed and validated analytical methods are suitable for fingerprint profiling of the phenolic, radical scavenging, triterpenic compounds, and amino acids and marker elucidation for standardization.