Subgenus Perovskia of the extended genus of Salvia comprises several Central Asian medicinal and aromatic species, of which S. yangii and S. abrotanoides are the most widespread. These plants are cultivated in Europe as robust ornamentals, and several cultivars are available. However, their medicinal potential remains underutilized because of limited information about their phytochemical and genetic diversity. Thus, we combined an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS) based metabolomics with DNA barcoding approach based on trnH-psbA and ITS2 barcodes to clarify the relationships between these two taxa. Metabolomic analysis demonstrated that aerial parts are more similar than roots and none of the major compounds stand out as distinct. Sugiol in S. yangii leaves and carnosic acid quinone in S. abrotanoides were mostly responsible for their chemical differentiation, whereas in roots the distinction was supported by the presence of five norditerpenoids in S. yangii and two flavonoids and one norditerpenoid in S. abrotanoides. To verify the metabolomics-based differentiation, we performed DNA authentication that revealed S. yangii and S. abrotanoides to be very closely related but separate species. We demonstrated that DNA barcoding coupled with parallel LC-MS profiling constitutes a powerful tool in identification of taxonomically close Salvia species.
Neoplastic diseases are still a major medical challenge, requiring a constant search for new therapeutic options. A serious problem of many cancers is resistance to anticancer drugs and disease progression in metastases or local recurrence. These characteristics of cancer cells may be related to the specific properties of cancer stem cells (CSC). CSCs are involved in inhibiting cells’ maturation, which is essential for maintaining their self-renewal capacity and pluripotency. They show increased expression of transcription factor proteins, which were defined as stemness-related markers. This group of proteins includes OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, Nanog, and SALL4. It has been noticed that the metabolism of cancer cells is changed, and the demand for iron is significantly increased. Iron chelators have been proven to have antitumor activity and influence the expression of stemness-related markers, thus reducing chemoresistance and the risk of tumor cell progression. This prompts further investigation of these agents as promising anticancer novel drugs. The article presents the characteristics of stemness markers and their influence on the development and course of neoplastic disease. Available iron chelators were also described, and their effects on cancer cells and expression of stemness-related markers were analyzed.
Salvia abrotanoides Kar. and Salvia yangii B.T. Drew are medicinal and aromatic plants belonging to the subgenus Perovskia and used as herbal medicines in Asia. Derivatives of caffeic acid, mainly rosmarinic acid (RA), are the major phenolic compounds identified in these plants. Understanding the factors and molecular mechanisms regulating the accumulation of pharmacologically and ecologically relevant phenolic metabolites is essential for future biotechnological and medical applications. Up to date, no studies of phenylpropanoid biosynthetic pathway at the transcriptional level has been performed in the Perovskia subgenus. Using a combined qRT-PCR transcriptional activity analysis with LC-MS based metabolic profiling of roots and leaves at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of vegetation season, we have identified the following gene candidates with properties correlating to phenolic acid biosynthesis in S. abrotanoides and S. yangii: PAL, C4H, 4CL, TAT, HPPR, RAS1, RAS2 and Cyp98A14. A comparison of phenolic acid profiles with gene transcript levels revealed the transcriptional regulation of RA biosynthesis in the roots but not the leaves of the studied species. Additionally, RAS1 and Cyp98A14 were identified as rate-limiting steps regulating phenylpropanoid biosynthesis on a transcription level. In the future, this will facilitate the gene-based metabolic enhancement of phenolic compounds production in these promising medicinal herbs.
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