Investigation of the amino acid composition of extracts from horse chestnut flowers from various growing regions

Abstract

Amino acids play an important role in the body, being the structural elements of many organic compounds that perform vital functions. Amino acids enter the body in various ways: some amino acids can be synthesized by the body itself, while others enter the body through food products of animal and vegetable origin. Amino acids are involved in nervous regulation, affect vascular tone and are used to treat various diseases. The study of medicinal plants as potential sources of easily digestible amino acids, which play an important role in the vital activity of organisms, remains an urgent research topic. The aim of the work was to determine the variability of the amino acid composition of horse chestnut flowers in various growing regions within the framework of their comprehensive phytochemical study. Using the thin-layer chromatography (TLC) method, it was found that the profile of free amino acids of horse chestnut flowers is identical for raw materials harvested in different growing regions. 10 zones of substances of AK nature were observed, among which interchangeable AK with Rf values equal to: (0.10 – arginine; 0.32 – proline; 0.38 – glycine; 0.42 – glutamic acid) and irreplaceable AK with Rf values (0.52 – methionine; 0.62 – leucine; 0.74 – phenylalanine) were identified. As well as 3 unidentified AC zones with Rf values = 0.15; 0.26; 0.84. The differential spectrophotometry method was used to determine the content of the sum of free amino acids in terms of glutamic acid and the variability of this indicator in horse chestnut flowers of various growing regions (from 1.07% to 3.38%). The maximum accumulation of these BAS was noted for chestnut flowers harvested in the Voronezh region, the minimum - in raw materials from the Stavropol Territory. The results obtained showed the reproducibility of the composition of amino acids, as substances of primary metabolism, in raw materials of the same type, regardless of the combination of environmental factors and cultivation conditions. This indicator, unlike the quantitative content, is determined primarily by the genotype of the organism and does not depend much on ecological and geographical factors. The amino acid composition can serve as an additional criterion for the quality of the studied raw materials, since any deviations from the established norms of harvesting, storage and drying of flowers, their processing and extraction can affect the chromatographic profile and the quantitative content of the amount. The obtained data also indicate the prospects of using horse chestnut flowers and preparations based on them as alternative sources of essential amino acids.