Abstract:
Traditional medicinal plants remain an invaluable source of biologically active compounds for the development of modern phytopharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and preventive healthcare products. Among the wide spectrum of plant-derived secondary metabolites, flavonoids represent one of the most strategically important groups due to their broad pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, vaso- and cytoprotective effects. The growing scientific interest in natural antioxidants has intensified the need for systematic investigation of flavonoid-containing medicinal plants and optimization of technologies for obtaining standardized herbal preparations with predictable biological activity.
This study presents a comprehensive analytical summarization of contemporary scientific data concerning flavonoids as key bioactive constituents of traditional medicinal plants. Special attention is given to medicinal plant raw materials of regional flora of Ukraine, particularly species traditionally used in herbal medicine and known to accumulate significant quantities of flavonoid compounds. A critical evaluation of available phytochemical and pharmacognostic data enabled the identification of promising plant species that may serve as valuable sources for further pharmaceutical research, development, and industrial application.
An important part of the study involved a critical analysis of current extraction technologies used for isolation of flavonoids and other antioxidant compounds from medicinal plant materials. Comparative assessment of conventional and modern extraction methods - including maceration, percolation, reflux extraction, ultrasound-assisted extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, and other intensified techniques - demonstrated that optimization of extraction parameters is essential for maximizing yield and preserving compound stability. Particular emphasis is placed on the selection of optimal extractants with different polarities and on defining extraction conditions that ensure maximal recovery of antioxidant components while minimizing degradation.
Additionally, specialized training and test datasets of natural flavonoids have been compiled, incorporating information on chemical structures and experimentally determined antioxidant activity values. This enabled systematization of structure–activity relationships and identification of key structural determinants responsible for antioxidant performance. The analysis demonstrated that antioxidant activity is strongly influenced by hydroxylation patterns, glycosylation, conjugation systems, and other molecular descriptors affecting electron donation and radical scavenging capacity.
Modern analytical approaches - including screening (UV–Vis, TLC) and quantitative methods (HPLC), as well as high-resolution identification (LC–MS) and structural confirmation (FTIR, NMR) - are compared in terms of sensitivity, selectivity, and applicability for flavonoid identification and quantitative determination in plant raw materials and pharmaceutical substances. A comparative evaluation will be also performed concerning quantitative requirements of the State Pharmacopoeia of Ukraine and the European Pharmacopoeia for active principles’ content in flavonoid-yielding herbal substances.
Overall, the findings highlight the importance of integrating traditional medicinal knowledge with modern phytochemical, analytical, and pharmaceutical methodologies. Such an interdisciplinary approach creates a robust foundation for discovery, standardization, and rational therapeutic application of flavonoid-rich medicinal plants in evidence-based traditional and integrative medicine.
Acknowledgements. This publication was prepared as a result of the project No. 0126U001841 "Molecularly Oriented Design of Novel Antioxidants Based on Thiazole-Containing Heterocycles and Flavonoids", funded by the Ministry of health of Ukraine (MHU) from the state budget. The authors gratefully acknowledge the MHU for supporting this research.
Biography:
Dr. Roman Lysiuk works at Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University, Ukraine, where he received his MS degree in 2000, then joined the Department of Pharmacognosy and Botany, obtained PhD in 2021 and became an Associate Professor in 2025. He is also a Director of the Council for Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (CONEM), Norway. His research focuses on pharmacognosy, phytochemical analysis, and pharmacology of herbal medicines. Roman Lysiuk has published over 200 scientific papers, serves as Editor-in-Chief and editorial board member for several journals, and actively participates in international academic exchanges with outstanding achievements in phytomedicine and nutritional medicine.
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