Phytochemical evaluation and antioxidant activity of Verbascum sublobatum Murb. leaves

Background and objectives: The genus Verbascum, with nearly 360 species, is one of the largest members of Schrophulariacea family. In the Flora of Iran, the genus Verbascum is represented by 43 species among them seventeen plants are endemic. Verbascum species are well known in folk medicine and are widely used for therapeutic purposes. Verbascum sublobatum Murb. grows wildly in north of Iran. Literature review has shown that there is no report on phytochemical investigation about V. Sublobatum leaves. In the present study, phytochemicals of the plants have been isolated and the antioxidant activity of the extracts from leaves of Verbascum sublobatum Murb. has been evaluated.  Methods: Dried and powdered plant were extracted with 70% methanol and then partitioned by chloroform, ethyl acetate, and buthanol. The ethyl acetae fraction showed the strongest DPPH radical scavenging activity among the three fractions and was subjected to separation and identification. The separation and purification process were performed using various chromatographic methods. Structural elucidation was carried out on the basis of FT-IR, NMR and UV data. Results: The isolated compounds which had flavonoid structure, were identified as apigenin and luteolin. Conclusion: The isolated compounds have been previously reported from other species of Verbascum which demonstrates the chemotaxonomic significance of the isolated compounds.