Abstract:
Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.), an invasive tree in Europe, commonly known for its
negative impact on biodiversity, is a rich source of phenolic compounds recognized in traditional
medicine. Since the metabolite profile depends on the environment and climate, this study aimed
to provide the first LC-MS phytochemical screening of the black locust from the Istria region (Croatia).
The compounds were extracted from leaves and flowers with 70% ethanol and 80% methanol.
Total phenolics (TP) and flavonoids (TF), as well as antioxidant capacity (AC) measured by ABTS
(17.49–146.41 mg TE/g DW), DPPH (24.67–118.49 mg TE/g DW), and FRAP (7.38–77.53 mg TE/g
DW) assays, were higher in leaf than in flower extracts. Higher TP and total non-flavonoid (TNF) values
were displayed in ethanolic than in methanolic extracts. In total, 64 compounds were identified, of
which flavonols (20) and hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives (15) were the most represented. Flavanols
such as catechin dominated in leaf extracts, followed by flavonols, with kaempferol glucuronyl
rhamnosyl hexosides as the main compound, respectively. Flower extracts had the highest share
of flavones, followed by ellagitannins, with luteolin dirhamnosyl hexosides and vescalagin, respectively,
being predominant. The extracts had good quorum sensing, biofilm formation prevention,
and eradicating capacity. The results provided new insights into the phytochemical properties of
R. pseudoacacia as the first step toward its potential pharmaceutical use.
Description:
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT : Data are presented in the manuscript.
SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL : TABLE S1: Pearson’s correlation coefficients (two-tailed) between total phenolic (TP), total non-flavonoids (TNF) and total flavonoids (TF) contents and antioxidant capacity (obtained by DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays).
