Volume: 5, 2026
5th International PhD Students’ Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland:
ENVIRONMENT – PLANT – ANIMAL – PRODUCT
Abstract number: F006
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL5.F006
Published online: 22 April 2026
Phenolic profile, antioxidant and potential anti-inflammatory activity of Viola tricolor L. and Calendula officinalis L. with interaction analysis
Savelii Ishchenko*1, Tomasz Tarko2, 3 and Urszula Złotek1
1 Department of Biochemistry and Food Chemistry, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 8 Skromna St., 20‑704 Lublin, Poland
2 Department of Fermentation Technology and Microbiology, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 122 Balicka St., 30‑149 Krakow, Poland
3 Centre for Innovation and Research on Prohealthy and Safe Food, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 104 Balicka St., 30‑149 Krakow, Poland
* Corresponding author: savelii.ishchenko@up.edu.pl
Viola tricolor L. (violet) and Calendula officinalis L. (marigold) are medicinal plants rich in biologically active compounds. This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant and potentially anti-inflammatory activity of ethanol extracts and extracts after simulated digestion of these plants. In addition, the interactions between them were analysed using the isobolographic analysis. Qualitative and quantitative analysis performed by LC–MS/MS showed that both plants contained numerous phenolic compounds. Rutin and quercetin derivatives were the main flavonoids identified in both plants. In case of the phenolic acids fraction, in violet samples, salicylic acid was detected in the largest quantity, while in marigold samples chlorogenic acid and 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid were dominant. Digested samples contained more phenolic compounds compared to ethanol extracts. Antioxidant activity was determined using ABTS, superoxide (O₂•⁻) and hydroxyl (OH•) radical scavenging assays, and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). In all assays, higher activity was observed for samples after simulated digestion compared to ethanol extracts. The highest values were obtained for the digested marigold sample.
Potentially anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated based on the inhibition of lipoxygenase (LOX), xanthine oxidase (XO), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Digested samples from both plants showed higher LOX inhibition activity than ethanolic extracts. For XO inhibition, digested samples showed higher EC₅₀ values than ethanol extracts. In the COX-2 inhibition assay, the highest inhibition was observed for the digested violet sample. In antioxidant assays, interactions between ethanol extracts of violet and marigold were nearly additive to slightly antagonistic, and a comparable trend was observed in samples after in vitro digestion. For pro-inflammatory enzyme inhibition, ethanol extracts combinations exhibited slight to moderate antagonistic interactions, with the exception of xanthine oxidase inhibition, whereas for samples after digestion all interactions fell within the range interpreted as nearly additive. There were no synergistic effects found. These results show that violet and marigold extracts exhibit antioxidant and potentially anti-inflammatory activity. Their interactions are either additive or antagonistic.
Keywords: antioxidant activity; bioaccessibility; isobolographic analysis; phenolic compounds
How to cite
Ishchenko S., Tarko T., Złotek U., 2026. Phenolic profile, antioxidant and potential anti-inflammatory activity of Viola tricolor L. and Calendula officinalis L. with interaction analysis. In: 5th International PhD Students’ Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland: Environment – Plant – Animal – Product. https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL5.F006