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Acta Sci. Pol. Hortorum Cultus, 15(3) 2016, 141-152
VARIATION ON BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY
AND PHYTOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS
OF GUM TRAGACANTH EXUDATE FROM Astragalus
gossypinus AND A. parrowianus
Abdollah Ghasemi Pirbalouti1,2, Malihe Imaniyan-Fard1
1 Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran
2 College of Natural Sciences, Massachusetts University, Amherst, MA, USA
Abstract. Antibacterial and antioxidant activities, total phenolic content, and protein con-
tent of gum tragacanth harvested from different populations of Astragalus gossypinus and
Astaragalus parrowianus (Fabaceae) from three provinces in central to southwestern Iran
were investigated. Total phenolic amount of aqueous solution of gum tragacanth was de-
termined using Folin-Ciocalteu method. Antioxidant activity of the aqueous solution of
gum tragacanth was evaluated by measuring DPPH. The antibacterial activity of the
aqueous solution of gum tragacanth against four bacteria was determined by serial dilu-
tion assay. Results indicated that there were significant differences in amount of total
phenol, antibacterial and antioxidant activities among different populations of two spe-
cies. The highest amounts of total phenol of gum tragacanth were obtained from the
Shahrekord and the Khomeyn populations for A. parrowianus (237 and 235 mg GAE∙g-1
gum tragacanth, respectively). The highest protein content was obtained from the popula-
tions of A. parrowianus and the lowest amount of protein content was obtained from the
Shahrekord population of A. gossypinus. The highest antioxidant activity was obtained the
Shahrekord population for both species (IC50 = 0.345, and 0.419 mg∙ml-1), and the
Khomeyn population for A. gossypinus (IC50 = 0.511 mg∙ml-1). The aqueous solutions of
the gum tragacanth studied indicated moderate-to-good inhibitory activities (MICs =
0.125 to 0.250 mg∙ml-1) against four bacteria, especially against Listeria monocytogenes.
In conclusion, gum tragacanth from some populations of A. gossypinus and A. parrowia-
nus could be an important dietary source of protein and total phenolic compound with an-
tioxidant capacity and antibacterial activity.
Key words: Iranian gum tragacanth, antioxidant activity, antibacterial activity, total phe-
nolic, protein
Corresponding author: Abdollah Ghasemi Pirbalouti, Research Center for Medicinal Plants and
Ethno-Veterinary, Department of Medicinal Plants, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University,
PO. Box: 166, Shahrekord, Iran
© Copyright by Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Przyrodniczego w Lublinie, Lublin 2016
142 A.G. Pirbalouti, M. Imaniyan-Fard
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Acta Sci. Pol.
INTRODUCTION
Astragalus L., as the largest genus in Angiosperms with about 2500 to 3000 species
in the world, belongs to the tribe Astragaleae of Papilionoideae in the family Fabaceae
[Ranjbar and Karamian 2002a, Ranjbar and Karamian 2003a]. This genus occurs pri-
marily in cold to warm arid and semiarid mountainous regions of the Northern Hemi-
sphere and South America [Chaudhary et al. 2008]. The Astragalus genus is the most
species-rich and diverse genus in Central Asia and Southwestern Asia [Ranjbar and
Karamian 2002b, Ranjbar and Karamian 2003b]. The genus is most diverse in the Irano-
Turkish region of Southwestern Asia (1000–1500 spp.), the Sino-Himalayan Plateau of
south central Asia (ca. 550 spp.) and the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau of Western
North America (ca. 450 spp.). In addition, the center of origin and diversity of Astraga-
lus is Eurasia, specially the drier mountainous parts of Southwestern and South-Central
Asia and the Himalaya [Maassoumi 1998, Lock and Schrire 2005, Wojciechowski
2005]. The Astragalus genus, with the common Persian name of ‘Gavan’, consists of
about 800 species of herbaceous annual and perennials, and shrubs in Iran [Mozaffarian
2008]. This genus consists of eight subgenera and about 85 sections which grow wild in
many regions of Iran. Some species of Astragalus have botanical, industrial, food, and
pharmaceutical interest due to its characteristic scent [Ghasemi Pirbalouti 2009]. In
addition, some species of the Astragalus genus have a major role on soil conservation
and provide forage for livestock grazing in summer during dry season in semiarid lands
in Iran [Ghasemi Pirbalouti 2010].
Gum tragacanth, as an important source in food, pharmaceutical, and chemical in-
dustries, obtains from the stems and branches of Asiatic species of Astragalus [Weiping
2000, Azarikia and Abbasi 2010] such as Astragalus gossypinus and Astaragalus par-
rowianus that both species wild grow in the alpine of Southwestern Iran. Gum traga-
canth has been known and used for thousands of years. Gum tragacanth is a branched,
heterogeneous, and anionic carbohydrate with high molecular weight [Weiping 2000]
that consists of two major fractions: water-insoluble component (bassorin) and water-
soluble component (tragacanthin) [Mohammadifar et al. 2006, Balaghi et al. 2011].
Different species of Astragalus have various ratios of the two fractions, different chemi-
cal compositions and also varying physicochemical properties [Balaghi et al. 2010,
Balaghi et al. 2011]. Gum tragacanth is widely used in the food industry as a stabilizer,
emulsifier and thickener in food industry, pharmaceutics and cosmetics [Weiping 2000,
Abbasi and Rahimi 2006, Weiping and Branwell 2000]. It has been reported that it
inhibits the growth of cancer cells and it could regulate blood sugar in diabetic patients.
The characteristics of medicinal plants are known to be affected by genetic, envi-
ronmental factors, and their interaction effects [Ghasemi Pirbalouti et al. 2013a,
Ghasemi Pirbalouti et al. 2014]. Bioclimatic preferences along with geographic distanc-
es play a major role in ecotype differentiation [Ghasemi Pirbalouti et al. 2013b] that
affect plant constituency. In addition, identification of variation in phytochemical prop-
erties and biological activity in different ecotypes and the effect of environmental fac-
tors on quality and quantity of gum tragacanth are important. Yet, to our knowledge, no
documents are available dealing with the variation of antibacterial and antioxidant activ-
ities, total phenolic content and protein content of gum tragacanth harvested from wild
populations of Astragalus gossypinus and Astaragalus parrowianus due to the growth
environment. The main objective of this study was to evaluate content of phenolic com-
Variation on biological activity and phytochemical characteristics... 143
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Hortorum Cultus 15(3) 2016
pounds, antioxidants and antibacterial activities of the gum tragacanth harvested from
A. gossypinus and A. parrowianus and to evaluate them as potential sources of natural
antioxidants and antimicrobial.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Chemicals and reagents. Gallic acid, nutrient broth, saturated Na2CO3, and ethanol
used in this study were purchased from Merck Co. (Darmstadt, Germany). The Folin-
Ciocalteu reagent, the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazil (DPPH), and dimethyl sulfoxide
(DMSO) were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich Co. (Steineheim, Germany).
Plants material and origin. Samples of two species of Iranian gum tragacanth ex-
uded by Astragalus parrowianus, and A. gossypinus, collected from wild populations of
the plants (at least 7 years old) growing in alpine regions of southwestern Iran were
used in this study. The plants were tapped with a knife by making careful oblique inci-
sion in the taproot and the bark of the branches (fig. 1). After two days, the gum readily
exuded from these cuts in the form of ‘ribbons’ that became brittle on drying [Balaghi et
al. 2011]. In total, three replicate samples of 20 plants were gathered from three natural
habitats in three provinces between June and July 2012 (tab. 1). Plant identities were
confirmed by Dr. H. Shirmardi (Research Center for Agricultural & Natural Resources,
Shahrekord, Iran). The raw gum was grounded using a Moulinex food processor
(Moulinex International, Spain) and sieved. Powdered gum with mesh size between 300
and 500 μm was used in this study. The crude gum tragacanth powder (1 g) was dis-
solved in 1 L deionized water on a magnetic stirrer with hot plate at 50°C during
30 min.
Table 1. Geographical and climate of natural habitats of Astragalus gossypinus and A. parrowianus
Regions
Province
Altitude
(m)
Latitude
Longitude
P*
(mm)
T
(°C)
pH
E.C.
(dS∙m-1)
O.C
(%)
Sand
(%)
Silt
(%)
Clay
(%)
Khomeyn
Markazi
1810
33–35°
50–51°
240
16
7.64
0.18
0.49
28
29
43
Khonsar
Isfahan
2300
33–34°
50–51°
303
14
7.60
0.54
0.42
30
22
48
Shahre-
kord
Chaharmahal
va Bakhtiari
2070
31–32°
49–51°
318
12
7.73
0.49
0.45
32
44
24
* – P – annual precipitation (mm), T – average temperature (°C), E.C. – electrical conductivity
(dS∙m-1), O.C. – organic carbon (%). Meteorological information was obtained from weather
stations located within the study area and the surrounding zone; each value in the mean of 10 to
15 year data. Soil characteristics are based on average of samples taken from three farms in each
region
The chosen collection regions were in different geographic areas and included areas
in which differences in physical characteristics of the plant accessions were observed
[Mozaffarian 2013]. Each sample was labeled and the location was recorded using
a global positioning system (GPS, Vista Garmin) receiver. The physical and chemical
characteristics of the soil, including pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic carbon
(%OC), and texture, at the sample collection sites were determined (tab. 1) along with
climatic conditions as recorded by the nearest meteorology station.
144 A.G. Pirbalouti, M. Imaniyan-Fard
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Acta Sci. Pol.
Fig. 1. The plants tapped with a knife by making careful oblique incision
Determination of total phenolic compounds. The total amount of phenolic com-
pounds in each aqueous solution of gum tragacanth was determined using the Folin–
Ciocalteu method following procedure of Singleton and Rossi [1965] with some modi-
fications. Briefly, A 0.5 ml of the sample was mixed with 2.5 ml of Folin- Ciocalteu’s
phenol reagent for 5 min at 37°C, 2 ml of saturated Na2CO3 (7.5%) was added, and the
mixture was brought to 10 ml with the addition of deionized, distilled water. The mix-
ture was maintained at room temperature in the dark for 120 min and then the absorb-
ance was measured at 765 nm against a reagent blank using a Perkin-Elmer Lambda
UV/Vis spectrophotometer. Gallic acid was used as the reference standard and the total
phenolic content was expressed as mg of gallic acid equivalents per gram of gum traga-
canth on dry basis (mg GAE∙g-1 gum).
Protein content. Nitrogen content of the gums was determined using the standard
methods of AOAC [2006]. The protein content was calculated from percentage nitrogen
by means of the factor (N × 6.25) established recently [Debon and Tester 2001].
Variation on biological activity and phytochemical characteristics... 145
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hortorum Cultus 15(3) 2016
Antibacterial test. Antibacterial activity of the aqueous solution of gum tragacanth
was tested using clinical isolates of four bacterial strains, the Gram-positive bacteria
(Bacillus cereus and Listeria monocytogenes) and the Gram-negative bacteria (Pseudo-
monas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhimurium). The bacteria, originally obtained from
chicken meat samples, were provided by the Food Microbiology Laboratory, Veterinary
Medicine Faculty, (I.A.U.) Iran and had been positively identified using PCR-RFLP
along with conventional morphological and biochemical tests. The population of each
bacterial strain was increased by culturing in an overnight Nutrient broth (NB) at 37°C.
To quantify the antibacterial activity of the aqueous solution of gum tragacanth, bacteria
populations were prepared for testing by adjusting each population to 1.0 McFarland
standards (1.0 × 107 CFU∙mL-1), using a spectrophotometer (Eppendorf, AG, Germany).
Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were determined using the broth-serial dilu-
tion method following standardized methods [CLSI 2012]. Subsequent test concentra-
tions were made in a series of two-fold dilutions to develop concentration levels of 16 to
500 µg∙mL-1 in sterile, 10 mL test tubes containing NB. The minimum bactericidal
concentration (MBC) of each sample was determined according to the MIC values by
transferring 5 µL from MIC tubes to agar plates and incubating at 37°C for 24 h.
All experimental tests were replicated three different times.
Antioxidant test. The DPPH radical scavenging activity of the aqueous solution of
gum tragacanth was determined using the method proposed by Hung et al. [2005]. The
aqueous solution of gum tragacanth (100 µL) at concentrations of 8, 16, 32, 62.5, 125,
250, and 500 µg∙mL-1 were mixed with 3.9 mL an equal volume of 0.2 mM ethanol
solution of DPPH. The disappearance of DPPH was followed spectrophotometrically at
515 nm beginning immediately after mixing and incubation for 30 min at room tem-
perature. The absorbance of the DPPH radical without antioxidant against a control
measured daily. Control contained methanol instead of the antioxidant solution while
blanks contained methanol instead of DPPH solution. The amount of the sample neces-
sary to decrease the absorbance of DPPH by 50% (IC50) was calculated graphically. The
percentage inhibition was calculated according to equation 1:
% inhibition =
AC0 – AAt
×100,
AC0
where AC0 is the absorbance of the control at t = 0 min and AAt is the absorbance of the
antioxidant at t = 30 min. All measurements were replicated three times.
Statistical analysis. Data were analyzed as a one-way analysis of variance with
three replications using the SPSS 19.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago) statistical software. Means
of total phenolic, and protein contents, the antioxidant activity (IC50) were compared
using Duncan’s multiple range test at p ≤ 0.05 level.
146 A.G. Pirbalouti, M. Imaniyan-Fard
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Acta Sci. Pol.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Physical properties. According to a method [Asadian and Barati 2006], the samples
of gum tragacanth were ranked into four types:
1. The samples of straight and slender (ribbon) gum tragacanth (> 3 cm length) har-
vested from the Khonsar population of A. gossypinus (fig. 2a);
2. The samples of twisted gum tragacanth (1–3 cm length) harvested from the
Khomeyn population of A. gossypinus (fig. 2b);
a)
b)
c)
d)
Fig. 2. Ranking of appearance properties for Iranian gum tragacanth exuded by Astragalus par-
rowianus, and A. gossypinus; a) straight and slender (ribbon) gum tragacanth (> 3 cm
length) from the Khonsar population of A. gossypinus; b) twisted gum tragacanth (1–3 cm
length) from the Khomeyn population of A. gossypinus; c) flake gum tragacanth (1 < cm
length) from the Shahrekord population of A. gossypinus, d) yellow and round gum traga-
canth from different populations of A. parrowianus
Variation on biological activity and phytochemical characteristics... 147
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Hortorum Cultus 15(3) 2016
3. The samples of flake gum tragacanth (1 < cm length) harvested from the
Shahrekord population of A. gossypinus (fig. 2c);
4. The samples of yellow and round gum tragacanth harvested from different popu-
lations of A. parrowianus (fig. 2d).
Chemical properties. Total phenolic content. Phenolic compounds are an integral
part of the human diet and could be helpful against cancers, arteriosclerosis, ischemia,
and inflammatory disease, which are caused by exposure to oxidative stress [Caillet et
al. 2006]. A significant difference (p ≤ 0.01) for total phenolic content was measured
among the aqueous solutions of gum tragacanth (tab. 2). The maximum total phenolic
content was obtained from the Shahrekord and the Khomeyn populations for A. par-
rowianus (237 and 235 mg GAE∙g-1 gum tragacanth, respectively), and the lowest
amount of total phenolic was achieved from the Khonsar population of A. gossypinus
with 102 mg GAE∙g-1 gum tragacanth (tab. 2). In total, the total phenolic content in the
aqueous solution of gum tragacanth harvested from A. parrowianus (mean = 219.3 mg
GAE∙g-1 gum tragacanth) was higher than the aqueous solution of gum tragacanth har-
vested from A. gossypinus (mean = 136.8 mg GAE∙g-1 gum tragacanth). The differences
in the total phenolic content among the samples could be attributed to the geographic
origin of the plant and genetic diversity in two species.
Table 2. Antioxidant activity, protein and total phenolic contents of the aqueous solutions of gum
tragacanth from the various populations of A. gossypinus and A. parrowianus
Species
Population
Protein content
(%)
Total phenolic
(mg GAE∙g-1 extract)
IC50
(mg∙g-1)
A. gossypinus
Khonsar
0.066 b
101.78 ±11.41 c
0.75 ±0.13 ab
A. parrowianus
2.76 a
185.37 ±10.77 ab
1.03 ±0.31 b
A. gossypinus
Khomeyn
0.067 b
235.15 ±14..29 a
0.69 ±0.17 ab
A. parrowianus
2.91 a
159.89 ±12.32 abc
0.51 ±0.09 a
A. gossypinus
Shahrekord
0.063 b
148.83 ±9.29 bc
0.41 ±0.06 a
A. parrowianus
2.84 a
237.36 ±20.11 a
0.34 ±0.07 a
BHT †
–
–
–
0.29 ±0.05 a
ANOVA
–
p ≤ 0.01
p ≤ 0.01
p ≤ 0.05
† – butylated hydroxytoluene as a chemical antioxidant (positive control). Values in column having similar
letter are not statistically different at p ≤ 0.05
Protein content. A significant difference (p ≤ 0.01) for protein content was meas-
ured among the aqueous solutions of gum tragacanth (tab. 2). The highest protein con-
tent was obtained from the populations for A. parrowianus (2.76–2.91%), and the low-
est amount of protein content was obtained from the Shahrekord population of A. goss-
ypinus with 0.063% (tab. 2). Similarly, Balaghi et al. [2010] reported that gum traga-
canth from A. parrowianus (3.05 g∙100 g-1) had the highest level of protein and while
the protein content in gum tragacanth from A. gossypinus was lower than other Astraga-
lus species. The protein content of A. gossypinus was the lowest content that is similar
to previously reported results for protein content of some other hydrocolloids like agar,
carrageenan, and gum Karaya [Mohammadifar et al. 2006, Balaghi et al. 2010].
148 A.G. Pirbalouti, M. Imaniyan-Fard
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Acta Sci. Pol.
Biological activity. DPPH radical scavenging activity. The potential antioxidant ac-
tivity of the aqueous solutions of gum tragacanth was determined by the scavenging
activity of the stable free radical DPPH. This is a quick, reliable and reproducible meth-
od to assess the in vitro antioxidant activity of pure compounds as well as plant extracts
[Mosquera et al. 2007]. The effect of antioxidants on DPPH is based on their ability to
donate a hydrogen atom to DPPH, thus converting the radical into a stable molecule
[Diouf et al. 2009]. The lower IC50 value indicates a stronger ability of the extract to act
as a DPPH scavenger while the higher IC50 value indicates a lower scavenging activity
of the scavengers as more scavengers were required to achieve 50% scavenging reac-
tion. In our study, the antioxidant activity of the aqueous solutions of gum tragacanth
from the various populations of A. gossypinus and A. parrowianus was expressed as
IC50 with values from 0.34 to 1.02 mg∙ml-1 that indicating the aqueous solutions of gum
tragacanth act as moderate to good DPPH scavenger (tab. 2). Significant differences
(p < 0.05) in IC50 values were found for the populations of both species. A comparison
of all the aqueous solutions in the DPPH assay indicated that the aqueous solution of
gum tragacanth from the Shahrekord population for A. parrowianus with the highest
total phenolic content was the most effective free radical scavenging agents (tab. 2). The
total phenolic in this gum tragacanth provided substantial antioxidant activity.
Table 3. Antibacterial activity (MICs and MBCs) of the aqueous solutions of gum tragacanth
from the various populations of A. gossypinus and A. parrowianus and two chemical an-
tibiotics against four bacteria
Pathogens
A.
gossypinus
A. parro-
wianus
A. gossy-
pinus
A. parro-
wianus
A. gossy-
pinus
A. parro-
wianus
†Fl
Am
population
Khonsar
Khomeyn
Shahrekord
MIC
MBC
MIC
MBC
MIC
MBC
MIC
MBC
MIC
MBC
MIC
MBC
MIC
MIC
B. cereus
500
>500
500
>500
500
>500
500
>500
500
>500
500
>500
62
32
L. monocy-
togenes
250
500
125
250
125
250
125
250
500
>500
500
>500
62
62
P. aeruginosa
500
>500
500
>500
500
>500
500
>500
500
>500
500
>500
125
125
S. typhimu-
rium
500
>500
500
>500
250
500
250
500
500
>500
500
>500
125
125
†
Fl – flumequine, Am – ampicillin; µg∙ml-1
Antibacterial activity. The aqueous solutions of gum tragacanth from the various
populations of A. gossypinus and A. parrowianus demonstrated relatively inhibitory
activities against the pathogenic bacteria tested, the MICs and MBCs of the tested
samples are presented in Table 3. Results indicated that the different bacteria species
demonstrated different levels of sensitivity to the aqueous solutions of gum traga-
canth. The MICs of the aqueous solutions of gum tragacanth were within concentra-
tion ranges from 0.125 to 0.500 mg∙ml-1, and the respective MBCs were from 0.25 to
> 0.50 mg∙ml-1. Generally, the aqueous solutions of gum tragacanth indicated moder-
ate to good inhibitory activities against four bacteria. The highest antibacterial activi-
ty was obtained from the aqueous solution of gum tragacanth from the Khomeyn
Variation on biological activity and phytochemical characteristics... 149
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hortorum Cultus 15(3) 2016
populations for A. parrowianus against four bacteria, especially L. monocytogenes.
Probably, in the present study the phenolic compounds are responsible of the antiba c-
terial activity of the aqueous solution of gum tragacanth. The aqueous solution of gum
tragacanth from the Khomeyn population for A. parrowianus with the highest total
phenolic content (235 mg GAE∙g-1 gum tragacanth) had the highest antibacterial activi-
ty. The mechanisms by which plant extracts and secondary metabolites can inhibit mi-
croorganisms vary. Phenolic compounds can act at two different levels: the cell mem-
brane and cell wall of the microorganisms [Taguri et al. 2006]. They can interact with
the membrane proteins of bacteria by means of hydrogen bonding through their hydrox-
yl groups which can result in changes in membrane permeability and cause cell destruc-
tion. Phenolic compounds can also penetrate into bacterial cells and coagulate cell con-
tent [Tian et al. 2009].
CONCLUSIONS
The present study is apparently the first report of quantitative total phenol profile,
antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the aqueous solution of gum tragacanth from
various populations of A. gossypinus and A. parrowianus. The gum tragacanth exuded
from both species is ordinarily used for food industry, pharmaceutics, and cosmetics
purposes and also as health foods. The results of the current study demonstrated that the
aqueous solution of gum tragacanth harvested from A. parrowianus, with the maximum
total phenolic content had the highest antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Phenolic
compounds present in the gum tragacanth exuded from the plant are responsible for its
effective free radical scavenging, antioxidant and antibacterial activities. The gum trag-
acanth of Astragalus, especially harvested from A. parrowianus, is effective for inhibi-
tion of microbial pathogens and so could be used as a natural antibacterial agent. In
final, the use of gum tragacanth of A. gossypinus and A. parrowianus in foods (especial-
ly, dairy foods), cosmetics and drugs, requires the identification of the bioactive com-
pounds to perform further studies on their mechanism of action.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This work was supported by Research Center for Medicinal Plants & Ethno-
veterinary, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran.
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ZRÓŻNICOWANIE AKTYWNOŚCI BIOLOGICZNEJ I CECH
FITOCHEMICZNYCH WYDZIELINY GUMY TRAGAKANTOWEJ
Z Astragalus gossypinus I A. parrowianus
Streszczenie. Badano działanie antybakteryjne i antyoksydacyjne, całkowitą zawartość
fenoli i zawartość gumy trragakantowej w różnych populacjach Astragalus gossypinus
i Astaragalus parrowianus (Fabaceae) z trzech prowincji w środkowym i południowo-
zachodnim Iranie. Określono całkowitą zawartość fenoli wodnego roztworu gumy traga-
kantowej przy użyciu metody Folin-Ciocalteu. Antyoksydacyjne działanie wodnego roz-
tworu gumy tragakantowej oceniono, mierząc DPPH. Antybakteryjne działanie wodnego
roztworu gumy tragakantowej w odniesieniu do czterech bakterii ustalono za pomocą te-
stu seryjnych rozcieńczeń. Na podstawie wyników badań stwierdzono, że istnieją istotne
różnice w całkowitej ilości związków fenolowych oraz działaniu antybakteryjnym i anty-
oksydacyjnym w różnych populacjach obydwu gatunków. Największą całkowitą zawar-
tość związków fenolowych gumy tragakantowej otrzymano z populacji Shahrekord
i Khomeyn dla A. parrowianus (odpowiednio, 237 i 235 mg GAE∙g-1 gumy tragakanto-
wej). Największą zawartość białka otrzymano z populacji Shahrekord dla A. gossypinus.
Największą aktywność antyoksydacyjną uzyskano dla populacji Shahrekord dla obydwu
gatunków (IC50 = 0,345 i 0,419 mg∙ml-1) oraz Khomeyn dla A. gossypinus (IC50 =
0,511 mg∙ml-1). Wodny roztwór gumy tragakantowej wskazywał umiarkowane do dobre-
152 A.G. Pirbalouti, M. Imaniyan-Fard
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Acta Sci. Pol.
go działanie inhibicyjne (MICs = 0,125 do 0,250 mg∙ml-1) względem czterech bakterii,
zwłaszcza Listeria monocytogenes. Podsumowując, guma tragakantowa z niektórych po-
pulacji A. gossypinus i A. parrowianus może być ważnym żywieniowym źródłem białka
i związków fenolowych o zdolnościach antyoksydacyjnych i antybakteryjnych.
Słowa kluczowe: irańska guma tragakantowa, działanie antyoksydacyjne, działanie anty-
bakteryjne, całkowita zawartość fenoli, białko
Accepted for print: 7.03.2016
For citation: Pirbalouti, A.G., Imaniyan-Fard, M. (2016). Variation on biological activity
and phytochemical characteristics of gum tragacanth exudate from Astragalus gossypinus
and A. parrowianus. Acta Sci. Pol. Hortorum Cultus, 15(3), 141–152.
