Flavonoids chamomile

The different constituents present in the plant may belong to different chemical groups. For example, chamomile contains pharmacologically active essential oils, polyacetylenes, terpenoids, flavonoids, coumarins, and polysaccharides. 

INPUT DATA — RF VALUES OF CHAMOMILLE FLAVONOIDS AND RELATED COMPOUNDS SEPARATED IN MOBILE PHASES TESTED (1-8)... 

About 120 chemical constituents have been identified in chamomile as secondary metabolites, including 28 terpenoids, 36 flavonoids and 52 additional compounds [4]. A substantial part of drag effects are determined by the essential oil content. Oil is collected from flower heads, either by steam distillation or solvent extraction, for yields of 0.24-1.90% of fresh or dry plant tissue. Among the essential oil constituents the most active are /-/-a-bisabolol and chamazulene. /-/-a-bisabolol has demonstrated anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, antimicrobial, antiulcer, sedative and CNS activity. Chamazulene is also anti-inflammatory. Topical applications of chamomile preparation have shown benefit in the treatment of eczema, dermatitis and ulceration [5]. 

Chamomile contains the terpenoids (-)-alpha-bisabolol, (-)-alpha-bisabololoxides A and B, and a gauianolide lactone called matricin. Also contained are the flavonoids apigenin and apigenin-7-glucoside (see figure 6.6) (Tyler 1994 Robbers et al. 1996). Apigenin was found... 

As its name suggests, supercritical fluid extraction (SEE) relies on the solubilizing properties of supercritical fluids. The lower viscosities and higher diffusion rates of supercritical fluids, when compared with those of liquids, make them ideal for the extraction of diffusion-controlled matrices, such as plant tissues. Advantages of the method are lower solvent consumption, controllable selectivity, and less thermal or chemical degradation than methods such as Soxhlet extraction. Numerous applications in the extraction of natural products have been reported, with supercritical carbon dioxide being the most widely used extraction solvent. However, to allow for the extraction of polar compounds such as flavonoids, polar solvents (like methanol) have to be added as modifiers. There is consequently a substantial reduction in selectivity. This explains why there are relatively few applications to polyphenols in the literature. Even with pressures of up to 689 bar and 20% modifier (usually methanol) in the extraction fluid, yields of polyphenolic compounds remain low, as shown for marigold Calendula officinalis, Asteraceae) and chamomile Matricaria recutita, Asteraceae). " ... 

Chamomile (Matricaria camomilla) The flowers of this plant are dried and crushed into a tea, and people who drink chamomile tea half an hour or so before bedtime report getting a restful night s sleep. Chamomile tea can be useful for mild insomnia that occurs occasionally. Chamomile contains molecules called flavonoids, particularly chrysin, that calm the activity of nerve cells, although it is unknown exactly how this is achieved. Chamomile can also help relieve anxiety. A note of caution Since chamomile is a plant... 

The determination of the antioxidant activity and phenolic profile of various tea and herbal infusions were recently reported. Atoui et al. [67] applied TEAC and luminol PCL assays to assess the antioxidant activity, and positive-ion LC-DAD-ESI-MS to assess the phenolic profile in 9 different teas, including Greek mountain tea, mint, chamomile, black Ceylon, and Chinese green tea. About 60 different flavonoid and phenolic acid derivatives were identified. 

Chamomile tea produced from the flowers of Matricaria, recutita has long been used as an antispasmodic for gastric and menstrual cramps. Studies with guinea-pig ileum have shown that the water-soluble flavonoid fraction and especially apigenin has antispasmodic activity three times that of papaverine. 

Apigenin, a flavonoid found in chamomile, has been found to suppress 12-G-tetradecanoyl-phorbol- l 3-acetate (TPA)-induced tumor promotion in mouse skin. Inhibition of protein kinase C, and thus protooncogene expression, by competing with ATP is the proposed mechanism of action (Huang et al.,... 

Blood and urinary concentrations of the flavonoids apigenin, apigenin-7-glucoside, and hemiarin were measured in one patient after a single oral dose of 40 mL of a aqueous/ethanolic chamomile extract (Tschiersch and Holzl J, 1993). 

The species Chamomilla recutita (chamomile) is rich in phenolic compounds, cumarines, phenolic acids and, especially, flavonoids such as p-D-glycosyl-7-apigenine and their acetylated derivatives, luteolin glucosides, quercetin heterosides and their methylated genines [90]. Apart from its known antispasmolytic activity, it also protects against ulceration mediated by indomethacin, stress and absolute alcohol. 

About 120 chemical constiments have been identified in chamomile as secondary metabolites, including 28 terpenoids, 36 flavonoids and 52 additional compounds... 

Chamomile has been indicated as an herb with the theoretical potential for interacting with warfarin due to the coumarin content of the herb (Heck et al. 2000). The cou-marin content, however, consists of the coumarin derivatives herniarin and umbelliferone. Herniarin has been shown to have hemostatic activity (Ahmad and Misra 1997) and umbelliferone has shown no evidence of anticoagulant activity (Egan et al. 1990 Feuer 1974 Pelkonen et al. 1997). The flavonoid apigenin has been shown to inhibit platelet aggregation in vitro (Landolfi et al. 1984 Teng et al. 1985). 

It is instructive to concentrate on the flavonoids, as these are of primary importance in qualitative assays of several HDs. Silica gel as stationary phase and ethyl acetate-ethyl methyl ketone-formic acid-water (50 30 10 10 by volume) as mobile phase is used in the analysis of flavonoids with C-glycosides (hawthorn, passion flower), and a mobile phase of ethyl acetate-formic acid-acetic acid-water (100 11 11 27 by volume) is used as the basic solvent for 0-glycosides (arnica, calendula, chamomille). Following spraying of the plates with 2-aminoethyldiphenyl-borinate (NTS, 1% in methanol) and subsequent treatment with poly(ethylene glycol) 4000 (PEG, 5% in ethanol), flavonoids display yellow to green fluorescence under UV irradiation at 365 nm. The frequently observed blue spots represent phenol... 

Four chemotypes, characterized as A, B, C, and D, dominate M. recutita, although as many as 11 different German chamomile chemotypes have been reported, which show considerable variation in flavonoid concentration and bisaboloid profile, but with only slight differences in coumarin and phenolic acid content. The four main chemotypes are dominated, respectively, by bisabolol, bisabolol oxide A, bisabolol oxide B, and bisabolone oxide A. ... 

Many flavonoids modify the phagocytic processes of macrophages, the release of oxidant substances from neutrophils and the activation of mast cells. Their interaction with the arachidonic acid metabolism and inhibition of pro-inflammation mediators such as prostaglandins might be responsible for their anti-inflammatory activity. Chamomile exerts a powerful anti-inflammatory action due to its flavonoid content (Ramos et al., 1996). This action is mainly due to apigenin and lutein (Avallone et al., 2000). Traditionally, chamomile has been used in cosmetic products as soothing, anti-irritant and for sensitive skins. 

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