Assessment of the Antioxidant Activity of Hydroalcoholic Extracts from Five Species of Sobralia (ORCHIDACEAE) Present in Ecuador

The Orchidaceaefamily boasts remarkable diversity, encompassing approximately 775 genera and 24,500 species distributed worldwide. Certain species within the Sobralia genus are utilized in traditional medicine to address inflammations, wounds, and gastrointestinal disorders, albeit lacking sufficient scientific backing for their biological activities. This study aimed to assess the antioxidant activity of hydro alcoholic extracts from five Sobralia orchid species present in Ecuador, alongside molecular identification using the BARCODE method. Sobralia samples were collected across four provinces of Ecuador, followed by the preparation of hydroalcoholic extracts from both leaves and stems through maceration. Additionally, total phenol concentration was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu method, revealing higher values in the leaves of S. ecuadorana and S. pulcherima species, correlating with enhanced antioxidant activity as demonstrated by the DPPH radical scavenging method, where S. ecuadorana (IC50 of 1.52 mg/ml) and S. pulcherima (IC50 of 2.08 mg/ml) exhibited the most promising results. For molecular identification, DNA was first extracted from the samples using the Doyle and Doyle method, followed by sequencing via PCR analysis utilizing chloroplastic markers matK and rpoC1. Subsequently, the obtained sequences were refined to improve quality. Phylogenetic trees constructed using MEGA 11.0 indicated the effectiveness of these markers in genus and species-level identification of orchids. In conclusion, this research offers a molecular tool for precise orchid identification and underscores the potential pharmaceutical utility of certain endemic Ecuadorian species based on their antioxidant activity.