Abstract:

Objective: To establish a method for determining the contents of major bioactive components in chrysanthemum
flower and evaluate the antioxidant activity of chrysanthemum flower extract. Methods: HPLC was used to determine the
contents of chlorogenic acid, luteoloside, quercetin, luteolin and apigenin in chrysanthemum flower extract. Total flavonoids
and antioxidant activity of chrysanthemum flower extract were determined to explore the correlation between both indexes.
Results: Bioactive components in different chrysanthemum cultivars were different. The highest level of chlorogenic acid
was observed in Gong Ju, which was 9.8 mg/g. The highest levels of luteoloside and quercetin were detected in Hangbai
Ju, which were 0.94 mg/g and 2.76 mg/g, respectively. The highest level of luteolin was determined in Bo Ju, which was
2.48 mg/g. The highest level of apigenin was observed in Chu Ju, which was 0.20 mg/g. The total flavonoids in Gongju and
Hangbai Ju were 5.07% and 2.65%, respectively. Compared with Hangbai Ju flower extract and commercial chrysanthemum
flower extract, Gongju flower extract had higher T-AOC and scavenging activity against hydroxyl and DPPH free radicals,
which were (51.22 ± 1.66) U/mg, (57.38 ± 1.39) U/mg and (89.68 ± 0.23)%, respectively. An excellent correlation between
antioxidant properties and total flavonoids content was observed (R2 = 0.993, P ＜ 0.05 for T-AOC; R2 = 0.968, P ＜ 0.05
for hydroxyl free radical scavenging activity; R2 = 0.977, P ＜ 0.05 for DPPH free radical scavenging activity). Conclusion:
Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat flowers from different cultivars have different bioactive components. Gongju has the
strongest antioxidant activity, which is related to total flavonoids.

Key words: chrysanthemum, bioactive components, content, antioxidant activity