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Antioxidant Potential of the Aerial Tissues of the Mistletoe Loranthus europaeus Jacq.

Alexandra Katsarou, Sophia Rhizopoulou and Panagiotis Kefalas

University of Athens, Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Hospital A. Sygros, 5 Dragoumi st., Athens 16121, Greece

University of Athens, Department of Botany, Faculty of Biology, Panepistimiopolis, Athens, 15784, Greece

Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania, P.O. Box 85, Chania 73100, Crete, Greece

Abstract: The aim of the study was to evaluate the antioxidant activity of extracts of aerial tissues (i.e. flowers, leaves, stems, twigs and berries) of the mistletoe Loranthus europaeus that grow on oak trees in a natural forest, in the mainland of Greece. Total phenolic content and antioxidant potential of aerial issues of L. europaeus was evaluated by the Folin - Ciocalteu method , the Ferric r educing antioxidant power assay , the free radical DPPH · scavenging and the Co(II)/EDTA induced luminol plateau chemiluminescence assay. Extracts of twigs and stems of L. europaeus exhibited higher antioxidant activity in comparison to that of fruits, leaves and flowers.

Keywords: Antioxidant activity; berries; flowers; fruits; leaves; Loranthus europaeus; phenolics; stems; twigs .