Scholarly record

ARTEMIA SP. BIOTESTER AND THE UV SHIELD FACTOR OF FLOWERS SOFT EXTRACT OF ELAEAGNUS ANGUSTIFOLIA L.

Laura Bucur, Verginica Schroder

Abstract

The exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation cause oxidative stress translated by the appearance of ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species), which contributes to disease occurrence. The chemical natural compounds, such as polyphenols, present an antioxidant activity and may be used in the inhibition of the oxidative stress generated by ROS. Also, they may be used as UV shield. The flowers soft extract of Elaeagnus angustifolia L. contents polyphenol compounds such as flavonoids and phenolcarboxylic acids and it has an antioxidant activity. The aim of this paper is to assess the protective effect of soft extract from flowers of Elaeagnus angustifolia L., on brine shrimp (nauplus of Artemia sp.) exposed to UV radiation. There were determined the survival rates at 6, 9 and 12 hours by counting the individuals affected (without mobility), compared with the control, using an Optika stereomicroscope. There were used 4 groups: M - unexposed at UV radiation and untreated, MEx - unexposed at UV radiation and treated with extract, UV - exposed at UV radiation and untreated with extract and UVEx - exposed at UV radiation and treated with extract. The Anova test was applied to establish statistical significance. Significant differences Anova, between groups, are given by the value of P <0.05. It was used the UV shield factor calculation program to calculate the UV protective effect. The most noticed answers appear at 12 hours of the beginning of the experiment, when it records, at organisms exposed to UV radiation, the lowest level of survival (average 24% at UV group). Results revealed statistically significant differences between survival rates in extract samples (exposed to UV) compared with control samples. In conclusion, the soft extract from flowers of Elaeagnus angustifolia L. has a protective effect against UV radiation action, because it ensures high survival rates and it has a 99% UV shield factor. The protective effect could be explained by the involvement of compounds contented by the soft extract, especially polyphenols who have antioxidant activity (AA), in the growth of nauplus.

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