Can we use Melissa officinalis (lemon balm) postdistillation waste extracts in pharmacy? In vivo pharmacodynamic studies

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Melissa officinalis L., Lamiaceae (lemon balm) leaves, essential oil and extracts have a long tradition of use. This aromatic plant is cultivated worldwide and there is a growing demand for its mass production. The aim of this study was to chemically characterize lemon balm postdistillation waste such are deodorized leaves, decoction remaining after the hydrodistillation of essential oil and stems and to determine whether waste extracts possess pharmacological activities comparable to standard lemon balm extract. The potential usage of postdistillation waste would be important for both ecological and economic reasons. Prepared waste extracts were chemically characterized regarding total phenolics and flavonoids and using high performance liquid chromatography for quantification of specific phenolic compounds. Antioxidant effect was examined ex vivo on liver homogenate of experimental animals . Pharmacodynamic studies included rotarod performance, tail suspension, elevated plus maze and novel object recognition tests and potential interactions between examined lemon balm extracts and midazolam, fluoxetine and diazepam. Rosmarinic acid was determined as a dominant compound in all investigated extracts ranging from 15.82 to 42.98 mg/g of dried extracts. Ex vivo , hepatoprotective effect of deodorized leaves extract was confirmed. Examined lemon balm extracts influenced the metabolism of midazolam without interacting with fluoxetine or diazepam, nor expressing the antidepressant effect or influencing the memory of treated animals. However, anxiolytic effect of lemon balm extracts was recorded. Postdistillation waste of lemon balm could be used as a potential source for pharmaceutical industry for the isolation of pharmacologically active compounds and production of herbal medicinal products.