Tea prepared from Anastatica hirerochuntica seeds contains a diversity of antioxidant flavonoids, chlorogenic acids and phenolic compounds

HPLC-PDA-MS2 was used to identify phenolic and polyphenolic compounds in an herbal tea made from seeds of Anastatica hirerochuntica, a plant found in the Sahara-Arabian deserts and used to treat a variety of ailments. Twenty compounds comprising a series of flavone C- and O-linked glycosides, phenolic acids, chlorogenic acids and flavonols were identified or partially identified on the basis of co-chromatography with reference compounds and MS2 and MS3 fragmentation patterns. The flavones were the principal components, occurring as luteolin, apigenin and diosmetin conjugates. The antioxidant potential of individual compounds in Anastatica was assessed using HPLC with an on-line ABTS(center dot+) detection system. This revealed that 14 compounds exhibited antioxidant activity. The highest contribution to the antioxidant capacity of the tea, 56%, came from 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid and caffeoyl- and dicaffeoylquinic acids while 6-C-glucosides of luteolin and apigenin contributed 41%. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.