3. Results and discussion
3.1. Phenolic compound composition and antioxidant properties
Pelargonium sidoides root extract has a highly diverse and
complex chemical profile (Kolodziej, 2007; Colling et al., 2010).
The phenolic compound profiles of wild, acclimatized and tissue
cultured Pelargonium sidoides plant extracts analyzed using
UPLC-MS/MS are presented in Table 1. The results indicate a
similarity in phenolic compounds between wild and acclimatized
Pelargonium sidoides plants. There was variation in the type and
concentration of phenolic compounds between the different plant
parts. The concentrations of gallic acid, protocatechuic acid and
salicylic acid were higher in aerial compared to underground
parts of both acclimatized and wild plants. The differential
variation in the concentration of these phenolic compounds
between aerial and underground parts was more pronounced
for wild plants. The concentration of gallic acid was 31-fold higher
in aerial than underground parts of wild plants compared to a
9-fold differential for acclimatized plants. Similarly, the concentration of protocatechuic acid in the aerial parts of wild and
acclimatized plants was 73 and 10-fold higher respectively,
compared to the underground parts. Overall, the UPLC-MS/MS
analysis of phenolic compounds confirms the chemical signature