Chemical Constituents and Biologic Activities of Sage Species: A Comparison betweenSalvia officinalisL.,S. glutinosaL. andS. transsylvanica (Schur ex Griseb. & Schenk) Schur

Even thoughSalviagenus is one of the most known and studied taxa of Lamiaceae family, the knowledge regarding the chemical composition and health-related benefits of some locally usedSalviaspecies (mostly endemic) is still scarce. In this regard, the present work aims to evaluate the chemical profile and potential bioactivities of 70% (v/v) ethanolic extracts obtained from the less-studiedS. transsylvanicaandS. glutinosain comparison withS. officinalis. HPLC-PDA analysis revealed the presence of rutin and catechin as the main compounds in the extracts of the three studied species (using the employed HPLC method), whereas the presence of naringenin was highlighted only inS. glutinosaextract. Chlorogenic acid, rutin and quercetin were identified and quantified for the first time inS. transsylvanicaextracts. The in vitro antioxidant capacity of each extract was tested through complementary methods (phosphomolybdenum assay, DPPH, ABTS, CUPRAC and FRAP assays), and correlated with the presence of phenolics (especially flavonoids) in high amounts. The neuroprotective and antidiabetic abilities ofS. officinalis(the most active as AChE, BChE and alpha-glucosidase inhibitor),S. glutinosa(the most active as alpha-amylase inhibitor) andS. transsylvanicawere also studied. For each extract it was determined the antimicrobial, antifungal and cytotoxic effects using in vitro assays. The obtained results confirm the potential ofS. transsylvanicaandS. glutinosaas promising sources of bioactive compounds and as a starting point for further analyses.