Beneficial effects of the extracts and fractions of Dendranthema zawadskii and quantitative analysis of phenolic compounds by HPLC/UV

Abstract Dendranthema spp. are good sources of phenolic compounds with pharmacological effects. To improve industrial material efficiency and economic feasibility, Dendranthema zawadskii (DZ) was fractionated, and its functional substances and biological activities were evaluated. The linarin contents in the butanol (Bu) and ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fractions were 77.360 mg/g and 70.603 mg/g, respectively, which were approximately 3.4 times higher than those in the methanol extract. In the EtOAc fraction, the luteolin content was 52.135 mg/g (6.4 times higher than that in the methanol extract) and the 3,5-DCQA content was 184.704 mg/g (9.7 times higher than that in the methanol extract). Excluding the hexane (He) and chloroform (Ch) fractions, cell viability was 80% or higher at concentrations of ≤200 μg/mL for HaCaT cells and 25 μg/mL for B16F10 cells, indicating a lack of toxicity. The total polyphenol content of the EtOAc fraction was 370.50 mg/g and the total flavonoid content was 947.47 mg/g, which were significantly higher than those of the other fractions. As a result, the antioxidant activity of the EtOAc fraction at a low concentration of 25 μg/mL was 92.47%, similar to that of the control, and at 100 μg/mL, the He and Bu fractions exhibited high antioxidant activity (>90%). The EtOAc fraction had the highest tyrosinase inhibitory activity (33.33%) and inhibited melanin formation by 37.12% compared with that in the α-MSH treatment group. The antibacterial activities of 100 mg/mL He, Ch, and EtOAc fractions against Staphylococcus aureus were higher than that of the positive control, and the antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa was higher than that of the positive control for all fractions (100 mg/mL). The Ch fraction had the strongest activity against Candida albicans . Overall, the EtOAc fraction of DZ has a high potential as an industrial material, as it can be safely used with high functionality and polyphenol and flavonoid contents, with extensive potential applications in cosmetics, functional foods, and pharmaceuticals.