Plants of the Family Asteraceae: Evaluation of Biological Properties and Identification of Phenolic Compounds

Abstract

The present study focused on the biological analysis of five plants: Achillea millefolium, Arnica montana, Calendula officinalis, Chamaemelum nobile and Taraxacum officinale. The results indicated that A. montana extracts showed the highest content of phenolic compounds. Regarding the biological properties, A. millefolium had outstanding antioxidant activity, while C. officinalis had the highest rate of antimicrobial and antifungal activity. The anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activities reflected that C. nobile showed the highest effect. In enzyme assays, C. nobile and C. officinalis extracts showed the highest inhibitory effects on acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase enzymes. Overall, this study provides scientific evidence for the evaluation of the potential of medicinal plant extracts for the development of new products.