Introduction. Veronica species have been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases, including influenza, respiratory diseases, and cancer. In this study, a qualitative analysis of various polyphenolic components and a quantitative analysis of phenolic acids were carried out on selected Veronica L. species growing in Croatia (V. longifolia, V. cymbalaria, V. chamaedrys, V. hederifolia, V. polita, V. persica, V. serpyllifolia, and V. arvensis) to evaluate their phytotherapeutic potential. Materials and methods. The presence of polyphenols was investigated using appropriate chemical reactions and thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Quantitative analysis of total phenolic acids (TPA) was performed spectrophotometrically, according to official pharmacopoeial method for determination of hydroxycinnamic derivatives. Results. The polyphenols were detected in all investigated plant samples by general chemical reactions of developing colored products and precipitates. The strongest intensity of the reaction was observed for the sample of V. persica, which indicates a higher content of polyphenols in that sample. TLC analysis proved the presence of phenolic acids in methanolic extracts of all investigated Veronica species. Spectrophotometrically determined TPA content varied from 0.44% (V. cymbalaria) to 3.59% (V. chamaedrys), when expressed as rosmarinic acid (at 505 nm), and from 0.81% (V. cymbalaria) to 7.18% (V. chamaedrys), when expressed as chlorogenic acid (at 525 nm). Conclusions. This study is a contribution to the research of Veronica species and increases the previous knowledge about the phytotherapeutic potential of the analyzed plant species, especially in relation to the significant content of bioactive phenolic substances.
