Assessment of phenolic profiles from various organs in different species of perilla plant (Perilla frutescens (L.) Britt.) and their antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory potential

[Display omitted] •Five phenolics were isolated by column chromatography from perilla seeds.•Five phenolics exhibited considerable differences in species and organs of perilla.•Rosmarinic acid was the predominant component in all species and organs of perilla plant.•Antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory effects showed remarkable differences in all perilla sources.•The seeds of P. frutescens showed the most abundant phenolics with 4,856.8 μg/g in perilla sources. The aim of this research was to compare the phenolic contents and beneficial effects from different organs (roots; main-stems; sub-stems; petioles; leaves; seeds) of Korean species (P. hirtella; P. frutescens; P. citriodora; P. setoyensis) to gather information on the valuable functional properties and breeding sources of perilla. The effects of antioxidant on radicals and the enzyme inhibitory activities (α-glucosidase; tyrosinase) exhibited considerable differences in perilla species and organs (50 % methanol extract, 100 μg/mL). In particular, the P. frutescens and P. citriodora seeds displayed predominant abilities (antioxidant: hydroxyl → 2,2-diphenyl-1-pycrylhydrazyl (DPPH) → 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) > tyrosinase > α-glucosidase). Moreover, five phenolics (caffeic acid, ferulic acid, rosmarinic acid, luteolin, and apigenin) in this extract were demonstrated by silica gel column chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection and electrospray ionisation/mass (HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS). The most abundant compounds were observed in P. frutescens seeds (4,856.8 μg/g), while the second major content was exhibited by P. citriodora seeds (4,060.6 μg/g), specifically, rosmarinic acid showed the highest content (4,606.4 and 3,796.0 μg/g) of approximately 95 %, with remarkable differences. In comparison with the other organs, the perilla leaves and roots at 272.4–886.9 and 354.7–993.3 μg/g also showed high content. These findings suggest that the perilla leaves, roots, and seeds may be considered as potent sources of natural nutraceutical uses.