Analisi del contenuto polifenolico ed attività antiossidante di foglie di Myrtus communis L.

Artichoke is an herbaceous perennial plant (Cynara scolymus L.) belonging to the family of Compositae (Asteraceae) and cultivated especially in the Mediterranean area. Heads of the artichoke are worldwide known to be edible, whereas leaves are used since antiquity as folk medicine for their beneficial effects against some complaints. On the other hand, extracts from such plants have been claimed to possess epatoprotective and antioxidant action, due to their polyphenolic fraction. In particular, the presence of mono and di-caffeoyl ester of the quinic acid and flavonoid glycosides has been observed. In the present work more than twenty cultivars from a living collection in Sardinia, (Italy), wild and cultivated cardoon have been analyzed by HPLC/DAD and HPLC/MS. In addition, polyphenol extracts from artichoke exhibited a wide antimycotic activity toward yeast species of biomedical relevance.