ANTIOXIDANT CAPACITY OF TWO ENDEMIC VERBASCUM SPECIES

The capacity of the non-enzymatic antioxidant defense system of plants from the Bulgarian natural populations of the two endemic species Verbascum tzar-borisii and Verbascum anisophyllum was analyzed. The analysis included assessment of total antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities as well as flavonoid and anthocyanin contents in plants collected form their natural habitats. Total antiradical and antioxidant activities measured in plants from the V. tzar-borisii populations located in Sivri tepe and Probit kamak were similar while flavonoid and anthocyanin contents were higher in the Sivri tepe population. Enhanced antioxidant capacity was found in the V. anisophyllum population located near Vukovo village compared with the population located near Tsarvenyano village. The comparative analysis of the two endemic Verbascum species showed higher activity of the non-enzymatic antioxidants in the V. tzar-borisii plants. Among the populations studied, the V. tzar-borisii population located in Sivri tepe demonstrated the highest antioxidant capacity.