In Vitro Antioxidant Activity of Ethanolic Extracts from Some Lavandula Species Cultivated in Romania

The antioxidant activity of five samples of Lavandulae flowers (L. angustifolia ssp. angustifolia, L. hybrida, L. angustifolia spp. pyrenaica, L. angustifolia spp. angustifolia cv. Munstead and cv. Hidicote Blue) harvested from Romania was investigated using DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging and ferrous ion chelating assays. Total polyphenolic content (mg/g dried extract) was also determined. In both antioxidant assays, all lavender extracts showed significant and concentration-dependent activities. The ferrous ion chelating effect was superior to DPPH radical scavenging effect. Ethanolic extract from Lavandula hybrida was found to be the most active (IC50 = 73.53 μg/mL in DPPH scavenging assay and IC50 =49.90 μg/mL in ferrous ion chelating assay). Except Lavandula hybrida and Lavandula angustifolia cv. Munstead, there is no strict positive relationship between the polyphenolic content and antioxidant activity of extracts.