VARIATION OF IRON CONTENTS, POLYPHENOLS AND FLAVONOIDS
IN PETROSELINUM CRISPUM (MILL.) FUSS (APIACEAE)
ROBERT ANCUCEANU 1, ADRIANA IULIANA ANGHEL 1*, MARILENA VIORICA HOVANEȚ 1, MIHAELA DINU 1, OCTAVIAN TUDOREL OLARU 1, ALINA DUNE 2, MARIA CIOLEA 2, CRISTINA SILVIA STOICESCU 1, CARMEN POPESCU 2,3
1“Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Faculty of Pharmacy
2S.C. HOFIGAL Export Import S.A., Bucharest, Romania
3“Vasile Goldiş” Western University, Arad, Faculty of Pharmacy
*corresponding author: anghel_adriana_iuliana@yahoo.com
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Abstract:
Petroselinum crispum (Mill.) Fuss., parsley, Apiaceae, is often used in the folk therapy as an anti-anaemic product and is
claimed to be rich in iron. Previous reports have stated iron contents in leaves varying between 126.2 and 1100 mg/kg, but no
report on plants cultivated in Romania are available. We have measured iron contents in the vegetative organs (roots, stems
and leaves) of plants cultivated in Romania on three different soils, at three development stages, using AAS. Since iron
absorption may be influenced by the polyphenols and flavones, we have also measured these phytochemicals
spectrophotometrically, using the Folin-Ciocâlteu and aluminium chloride chelation methods, respectively. Correlations with
the soil chemical composition were also explored. The iron contents in all vegetative organs of the plant varied between 21.6
(s.d. 10.8) in stems and 645.2 (21.9) mg/kg in leaves. The iron contents tended to increase with the development stage and
the soil type had very limited influence on the iron contents. Polyphenol and flavone contents varied by soil type, vegetative
organ and development stage, with interactions among these variables.

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