Article
Marina Crnković 1,*, Kristina Kljak 2, Jovana Šućur Elez 1
(1) University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Agriculture
(2) University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture
Correspondence: marina.crnkovic@polj.uns.ac.rs
Crnković M, Kljak K, Šućur Elez J, 2026, Changes in the Content of Free Phenolic Acids in Maize and Sunflower Leaves Treated with Sodium Cholate, Environment & Science 1 (1) 21–30.
Received: 10 December 2025; Revised: 15 January 2026; Accepted: 3 February 2026; Published: 10 February 2026
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Abstract: Maize (Zea mays L.) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) seedlings were treated with sodium cholate (NaC, concentrations 20, 40, 60, and 80 mg L−1), and the content of free phenolic acids in leaf samples was determined. The hypothesis of this work was that NaC causes oxidative stress in these seedlings and thus activates the plant’s defense response in the form of increased synthesis of secondary biomolecules, phenolic acids, which participate in the removal of free radicals and the mitigation of oxidative stress. The idea was that bile salt, with elicitor activity, could influence the preparation of the plant’s defense system for a subsequent stress. The determination of nine phenolic acids (gallic acid—GA, protocatechuic acid—PCA, chlorogenic acid—CHA, p-hydroxybenzoic acid—PHBA, caffeic acid—CA, vanillic acid—VA, syringic acid—SA, p-coumaric acid—p-CA, ferulic acid—FA) was performed by the HPLC method. The results showed increased concentrations of GA, PCA, VA, SA, p-CA, and FA in maize leaves treated with 60 and 80 mg L−1 NaC compared to the control, after the 5th and 7th days. In sunflower leaves, this pattern only appears in PCA and PHBA. It was also shown that CHA was the most abundant free phenolic acid in maize treated with NaC, and CHA, PHBA, and SA in sunflower. Concentrations of 40 and 60 mg L−1 NaC induced the highest amount of free phenolic acids in maize, and 20 and 40 mg L−1 NaC in sunflower.
Keywords: bile acids; elicitor; oxidative stress