Isolation and Analysis of Extractives from White Cinquefoil (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Potentilla alba</Emphasis> L.) Grown under Different Conditions

Potentilla alba L. is used as a medicinal plant that contains a variety of biologically active substances. Natural resources are not meeting the needs of the pharmaceutical industry. We obtained the first biomass of P. alba plant-regenerants using hydroponics technique with clonal micropropagation. We have conducted a comprehensive study of the chemical composition of a vegetable raw materials P. alba, obtained in the Biotechnology Department (plant-regenerants) in comparison with raw material obtained from plants grown under field conditions (intact plants). We have established the quantitative content of the structural components in the samples: cellulose in roots and rhizomes of intact plants, 15.4%, in the roots of plant-regenerants, 4.3%, in the leaves of plant-regenerants, 2.5%; lignin in roots and rhizomes of intact plants, 40.7%, in the roots of plant-regenerants, 37.0%, and in the leaves of plant-regenerants, 36.8%. We determined the content of extractives in P. alba samples, recovered by sequential treatment with hexane, 96% and 40% ethanol solution, water and 1% aqueous sodium hydroxide solution. We identified the total content of extractives in the roots and rhizomes of intact plants at 15.3%, in the roots of plants-regenerants, 11.2%, and in the leaves of plant-regenerants, 5.1%. We characterized the chemical composition of extractives by UV-spectroscopy. Phenolic substances (λ = 279.5–280.0 nm) were dominant in the composition of the extracts. We have established the authenticity of the samples by the TLC chromatography based on the presence of flavonoids and tannins. We showed the identity of the phytochemical composition of vegetable raw materials produced by micropropagation and grown hydroponically for two months.