Alchemilla vulgaris, commonly known as Lady's mantle, is a part of the rose family Rosaceae. In traditional medicine it is often used in the treatment of inflammation, wounds and gynaecological diseases such as irregular, painful menstruation and infertility. These indications are supported by studies which have shown that Alchemilla vulgaris contains a number of biologically active compounds belonging to the group of phenolic compounds – a large amount of flavonoids, phenolic acids and tannins.
As part of the Master's thesis, we aimed to identify the compounds in different extracts of Alchemilla vulgaris in order to determine which compounds would be worth further investigation in future phytochemical studies of Alchemilla vulgaris. First, we reviewed the literature and selected the articles which were containing a similar procedure for the identification of compounds in Alchemilla vulgaris. We prepared an overview table of compounds, already identified in Alchemilla vulgaris and data associated with their mass spectroscopic measurements. This was followed by an experimental part where we first milled the dried aerial parts of the plant and then extracted them in ethanol, water, acetone, acetonitrile and ethyl acetate. The extracted samples were analysed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a high-resolution mass spectrometer. From the results, we retrieved the molecular masses of the compounds and their fragments, which were then compared with those found in the literature.
The results showed that Alchemilla vulgaris has a very rich composition with several phenolic compounds, dominated by flavonoids. Most of the compounds that matched those found in the literature were found in the samples, extracted with water and ethanol, while in the sample, extracted with ethyl acetate, we were unable to detect any of the indicated peaks on the chromatogram. The compound that stood out the most in terms of signal intensity on the mass spectrum in all samples except the ethyl acetate sample, was the elagotanine agrimonine, which is commonly found in plants belonging to the Rosaceae family. Based on the identified compounds, we conclude that properly prepared extracts of Alchemilla vulgaris may have medicinal effects, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity.
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