Comparative analysis of the chemical composition and pharmacological activity of Myrtus communis L. and Myrtus communis var. microphylla Willk.

Introduction. Myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) is widespread in the Mediterranean region and is cultivated in many countries of the world, including the Russian Federation. There are several varieties within the Myrtus communis L. species. The most well-known varieties are common myrtle (M. communis L.) and small-leaved myrtle (M. communis var. microphylla Willk.).

Aim. A comparative analysis of the component composition of common myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) and small-leaved myrtle (Myrtus communis var. microphylla Willk.) in extracts of varying polarity (petroleum ether, hexane, methanol) to identify chemotaxonomic markers and evaluate the antiplatelet and antioxidant activity of aqueous extracts from the leaves of Myrtus communis L. and Myrtus communis var. microphylla Willk.

Materials and methods. The subjects of the study were dried leaves of M. communis and M. communis var. microphylla, collected in 2024–2025 at the educational experimental farm (limonarium) of the Ufa Forest Technical College. To analyze the chemical composition, extraction was performed using various solvents: petroleum ether, hexane, and methanol. The component composition was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) on an Agilent 8890GC chromatograph coupled with an Agilent 5977B mass spectrometer. For pharmacological studies, infusions were prepared according to pharmacopoeial methods. Pharmacological activity was studied using hemostasis models (platelet aggregation, APTT) and antioxidant activity (chemiluminescence in models of ROS generation, lipid peroxidation, and macrophage activity).

Results and discussion. In the extracts of M. communis and M. communis var. microphylla, between 10 and 20 components were identified. It was established that the content of myrtenyl acetate is characteristic only for M. communis var. microphylla in all studied extracts: in hexane (12.78 %), methanol (5.59 %), and petroleum ether (2.44 %). M. communis and M. communis var. microphylla contain β-sitosterol (10–12 % in hexane), vitamin E (3–6 %), and eicosane (6–13 %). Pharmacological studies revealed moderate anti-aggregant activity of M. communis and M. communis var. microphylla: an increase in the latency period by 5.2–6.5 % and a decrease in aggregation rate by 8.7–10.3 %. M. communis var. microphylla exhibited more pronounced antioxidant activity (reduction of lipid peroxidation by 12.1–12.4 % for M. communis var. microphylla, and by 6.2–10.4 % for M. communis).

Conclusion. The obtained data expand the understanding of intraspecific variability of the species M. communis and can be used for the development of regulatory documentation on raw materials from various varieties of myrtle, as well as for the creation of phytopreparations with antiplatelet and antioxidant properties.

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