Total phenolic content is associated with antioxidant activity independently of preliminary toxicity in medicinal plants from Sinaloa, Mexico: a multivariate approach
- 1Graduate Program in Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Exact Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa
- 2Institute of Environmental Studies, Universidad de la Sierra Juárez
- 3Faculty of Chemical and Biological Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa
Abstract
The medicinal flora of the state of Sinaloa, Mexico, is widely used by rural and highland communities; however, scientific information regarding its phytochemical profile, antioxidant capacity, and toxicological safety remains scarce and fragmentary. The present study evaluated the relationship among the qualitative phytochemical profile, total phenolic content (Folin–Ciocalteu), in vitro antioxidant capacity (DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP), and preliminary toxicity (Artemia salina lethality assay) of 20 ethanolic extracts obtained from 15 native medicinal species, using an integrative multivariate statistical approach (Spearman correlation, hierarchical clustering, FAMD, PLS, and PERMANOVA). A very strong positive association was found between total phenolic content and antioxidant activity (ρ = 0.72–0.92; adjusted p < 0.005), consistently confirmed across all analytical approaches. Because the Folin–Ciocalteu assay quantifies total reducing capacity rather than phenolic compounds exclusively, this association is interpreted as a quantitative relationship between reducing power and radical-scavenging activity rather than as evidence of a specific structural class. In contrast, qualitative phytochemical screening showed no predictive capacity for antioxidant activity (η² < 0.05; PERMANOVA, R 2 ≤ 0.033). The Arbutus bicolor and Eysenhardtia polystachya extracts were identified as those with the highest antioxidant potential. Preliminary toxicity and antioxidant activity exhibited functional independence (ρ ≈ 0). The data obtained for A. bicolor constitute the first quantitative evidence of antioxidant capacity and preliminary toxicity for this species native to the Sierra Madre Occidental. The multivariate approach employed provides a replicable analytical framework for the systematic exploration of regional medicinal flora and identifies A. bicolor and E. polystachya as priority candidates for chromatographic characterization (HPLC-DAD, LC–MS/MS).
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BibTeX
@article{armentagutierrez2026total,
title = {{Total phenolic content is associated with antioxidant activity independently of preliminary toxicity in medicinal plants from Sinaloa, Mexico: a multivariate approach}},
author = {Elvia Jazmín Armenta-Gutiérrez and Samuel Campista-León and María Fernanda Aguilar-Valle and Irma Romelia Sánchez-Mendoza and Ricardo Clark-Tapia and Julio Montes-Ávila and Luz Isela Peinado-Guevara},
journal = {Applied Biological Chemistry},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1186/s13765-026-01146-6},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s13765-026-01146-6},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Total phenolic content is associated with antioxidant activity independently of preliminary toxicity in medicinal plants from Sinaloa, Mexico: a multivariate approach
AU - Elvia Jazmín Armenta-Gutiérrez
AU - Samuel Campista-León
AU - María Fernanda Aguilar-Valle
AU - Irma Romelia Sánchez-Mendoza
AU - Ricardo Clark-Tapia
AU - Julio Montes-Ávila
AU - Luz Isela Peinado-Guevara
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/25
JO - Applied Biological Chemistry
DO - 10.1186/s13765-026-01146-6
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s13765-026-01146-6
AB - The medicinal flora of the state of Sinaloa, Mexico, is widely used by rural and highland communities; however, scientific information regarding its phytochemical profile, antioxidant capacity, and toxicological safety remains scarce and fragmentary. The present study evaluated the relationship among the qualitative phytochemical profile, total phenolic content (Folin–Ciocalteu), in vitro antioxidant capacity (DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP), and preliminary toxicity (Artemia salina lethality assay) of 20 ethanolic extracts obtained from 15 native medicinal species, using an integrative multivariate statistical approach (Spearman correlation, hierarchical clustering, FAMD, PLS, and PERMANOVA). A very strong positive association was found between total phenolic content and antioxidant activity (ρ = 0.72–0.92; adjusted p < 0.005), consistently confirmed across all analytical approaches. Because the Folin–Ciocalteu assay quantifies total reducing capacity rather than phenolic compounds exclusively, this association is interpreted as a quantitative relationship between reducing power and radical-scavenging activity rather than as evidence of a specific structural class. In contrast, qualitative phytochemical screening showed no predictive capacity for antioxidant activity (η² < 0.05; PERMANOVA, R 2 ≤ 0.033). The Arbutus bicolor and Eysenhardtia polystachya extracts were identified as those with the highest antioxidant potential. Preliminary toxicity and antioxidant activity exhibited functional independence (ρ ≈ 0). The data obtained for A. bicolor constitute the first quantitative evidence of antioxidant capacity and preliminary toxicity for this species native to the Sierra Madre Occidental. The multivariate approach employed provides a replicable analytical framework for the systematic exploration of regional medicinal flora and identifies A. bicolor and E. polystachya as priority candidates for chromatographic characterization (HPLC-DAD, LC–MS/MS).
SN - 2468-0842
ER -