Evaluation of phytochemical and antioxidant activity of three widely-used medicinal plant in natural habitats of Fars province

Growth and generation of plants in different ecosystems and natural habitats are influenced by various factors. The present study aimed to evaluate and compare the phytochemicals and antioxidants of three widely-used medicinal plant species including Zataria multifolia Boiss, Matricaria chamomilla L. and Achilla millefolium L. which grown in five natural habitats (Fasa, Firoozabad, Kazeroun, Farashband and Dehram) located in Fars province, South of Iran . Phenolic and flavonoid contents of the extracts obtained by maceration (soaking) method were determined via Folin-Ciocaltiu and Aluminum chloride colorimetric, respectively. The antioxidant properties were also investigated through DPPH method. Based on the results, there is a positive correlation between plant secondary compounds and their antioxidant performance, and this relationship was quite significant for all three plant samples. Among the regions under the study, the highest phenolic and flavonoid compounds yields were detected in Farashband and Dehram regions, respectively. Among the results, the highest phenolic and flavonoid contents as well as antioxidant properties were identified in Achillea eriophora DC and Zataria multifolia Boiss species from Farashband and Dehram regions had the highest values. The differences observed in phenolic and flavonoid contents as well as antioxidant properties could be attributed to the effects of climatic conditions such as height above sea level on the investigated plants.