Abstract

Despite being important medicinal species, it is not clear if Maytenus ilicifolia and Maytenus aquifolium are chemically and pharmacologically similar or if their chemical composition can be affected by environmental conditions. Since their gastroprotective and antiulcerogenic properties seem to be related to a synergistic activity of their complex composition, a systemic approach to clarify such issues is more appropriate. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze the chemical composition of M. ilicifolia, M. aquifolium and the hybrid individuals and verify if environmental conditions affected their composition over one year, using untargeted metabolomics. With this approach, it was possible to differentiate the composition of both species in more detail by detecting major and minor compounds, including two minor compounds not previously reported for Maytenus: protocatechuic acid glucoside and 13(S)-HOTrE. In addition, correlation between some metabolites and environmental conditions was also observed, which could affect the pharmacological activities of both species. This is the first study to apply untargeted metabolomics to analyze the composition of M. ilicifolia and M. aquifolium, demonstrating that the chemical composition of these species is not equivalent. Furthermore, the decrease in concentration of certain compounds correlated with climate suggest that dry and cold months should be avoided for leaf collection.

Keywords

Maytenus ilicifolia; Maytenus aquifolium; Espinheira Santa; UHPLC-MS; Environmental conditions

Published in

Industrial Crops and Products
2020, Volume: 158, article number: 113014
Publisher: ELSEVIER

SLU Authors

• Moritz, Thomas

  • Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Agricultural Science


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2020.113014

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/110183