Anticholinesterase, antioxidant activity and phytochemical investigation into aqueous extracts from five species of <i>Agrimonia</i> genus

<p>Aqueous extracts of aerial flowering parts of five <i>Agrimonia</i> species (Rosaceae): <i>Agrimonia coreana</i> Nakai, <i>Agrimonia japonica</i> (Miq.) Koidz, <i>Agrimonia procera</i> Wallr., <i>Agrimonia eupatoria</i> L. and <i>Agrimonia leucantha</i> Kunze were investigated on their antioxidant activity, measured using five different methods; the best was the extract from <i>A. procera</i> with IC₅₀ values from 6 to 29 μg/mL. All the extracts displayed inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) at the tested concentration of 100 μg/mL. We found the highest inhibition of cholinesterase in the extract of <i>A. japonica</i> with inhibition 70.4% for AChE and 79.8% for BuChE. These findings are statistically significant in comparison with those of other extracts (<i>p</i> < 0.001). The phytochemical analyses showed that the antioxidant activity of <i>Agrimonia</i> extracts can be affected especially by hexahydroxydiphenoyl (HHDP)-glucose and quercetin glycosides, and inhibition of cholinesterases by apigenin, luteolin and quercetin glycosides.</p