An Early Quantitative Approach to Phytochemical Composition of the Aqueous Extract of Triticum vulgare

Plant extracts revealed advantageous properties in wound healing and skin repair. In particular, the aqueous extract of Triticum vulgare (TVE), which is widely recognized to speed up healing processes, has been so far used in cutaneous creams, gauzes and vaginal creams, solutions and pessaries under the brand name Fitostimoline®. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the TVE largely comprises poly- and oligosaccharides and it is involved in tissue repair. Thus, since many of the documented TVE beneficial effects cannot be merely ascribed to poly/oligosaccharidic components, an exploration of the low-weight phytochemical constituents accountable for such anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties has been performed. Eight bioactive metabolites, namely Allantoin, S-cis-Abscissic acid, Ferulic Acid-D-Glucoside, Luteolin, Jasmonic Acid, 3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenil)-Propionic Acid, 2-Methoxy-Benzoquinone and 2,6- Dimethoxy-Benzoquinone, were selected and quantified through an accurate UPLC-MRM-MS analysis. The TVE matrix was found to be rich in many of them and thus, they can be recognized as responsible for its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant bioactivity.