CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF POPULATIONS OF VALERIANA CARNOSA SM (CAPRIFOLIACEAE) DISTRIBUTED IN THE SOUTH-CENTRAL ANDES

Valeriana carnosa SM (Caprifoliaceae), a native specie to Chile, is distributed from the Maule Region to Tierra del Fuego. The rhizomes and roots have been used to treat different diseases as an infusion, mainly due to the wide spectrum of chemical compounds with biological concern. This research consisted in carrying out a chemical characterization and evaluation of the antioxidant activity of V. carnosa in natural populations distributed in the central-southern part of Chile. The characterization of the extracts was carried out by GC-MS, showing that the rhizome extracts for both Laguna del Laja National Park and Malalcahuello National Reserve showed a higher percentage of sesquiterpenes, fatty acids and alkanes. On the other hand, leaf extracts for the Antuc o site presented a higher abundance of alkanes and fatty acids and for Malalcahuello, alkanes and phytosterols. Significant differences were demonstrated in the rhizome extracts according to the IC50 values (157.6 and 154.8 mu g/ml) at both sites, however, for the leaf extracts, Antuco presented a higher IC50 (450.33 mu g/ml). ABTS, showed that Antuco had a higher activity for both extracts, and the same trend was demonstrated in the polyphenol content, evaluated by the Folin-Ciocalteu method. In conclusion, the distribution of the species and, indirectly, the site conditions are considered relevant in this research, showing a direct incidence on the biological activity and chemical profile of V. carnosa.