Characterization of Major Flavonols in Ramps (Allium tricoccum)

Abstract

Ramps (Allium tricoccum) is a traditional plant in the eastern Appalachian Mountains. Ramps have been used in Appalachian folk medicine for its health promoting roles in lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. Information on the chemical composition of bioactive components responsible for the potential health benefits are scarce. Analysis of the chemical composition in similar Allium plants showed that flavonols, induced similar health benefits. Therefore, the aim of this work is to characterize major flavonol conjugates in ramps. The secondary aim is to develop a preliminary quantification protocol. Flavonol glycosides were extracted in 50% methanol and 3% acetic acid. Characterization of flavonol glycosides was conducted using UHPLC-PDA-MS 2. For acid hydrolysis protocol, flavonol glycosides extracts or plant tissues were hydrolyzed by different concentrations of HCl. UHPLC-PDA was used to detect hydrolyzed flavonols. Characterization showed that the major putative flavonol glycosides were kaempferol sophoroside glucuronide, quercetin sophoroside glucuronide, and quercetin dihexoside. The different parts of the putative structures were preliminarily confirmed using 1 H and C 13 NMR analysis. The identified flavonol glycosides were concentrated in leaves. Preliminary quantification protocol showed that optimal hydrolysis conditions of flavonol conjugates was achieved by hydrolyzing the glycosides extract under 3M and 4M HCl, respectively, at 90 O C for two hours. To our knowledge, this work is the first to identify major flavonol glycosides content in ramps and develop a preliminary quantification protocol. This finding might explain the past usage of ramps as a medicinal plant. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This work wouldn't be possible without the guidance and contribution of several people. First, I would like to express the deepest appreciation and gratitude to my committee chair, Dr. Melissa Ventura-Marra for her endless support during my educational journey. I am grateful for all the knowledge, experiences, passion, encouragement, and learning opportunities she provided. It was a great honor and pleasure to be a member of her research group. My words can't thank her enough for gifting me an unforgettable and invaluable journey. Also, I would like to extend my gratitude to my committee members Dr. Nikola Kovinich and Dr. Callee Walsh for their help on each step of the project. I have gained an enormous amount of knowledge in a new advanced field of research from their experiences. I appreciate their time and efforts on this project. My sincere thanks also go to Dr. Novruz Akhmedov for all the time, effort and expertise he provided on this work. His passion, assistance, and encouragement are invaluable. In a short period of time, he has provided a significant guidance and contribution on the project which are truly appreciated. I would also like to thank my research teammates for the help and all the insightful discussions. Also, I extend my appreciation to Denzil Blosser and Suzan Slider for all the help provided d...

Ramp (Allium tricoccum Ait.) weight differs across the harvest season: implications for wild plant stewardship and forest farming

“…For example, ramps contain the organosulfur compound allicin (Calvey 1997) which is believed to be responsible for many allium health benefits including improved cardiovascular health, reduced LDL cholesterol and antiinflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant effects (Salehi et al 2019). Ramps also contain phenolic compounds (Jordan 2020;Dabeek 2019) which can have antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer properties (Hedges and Lister 2007). Jordan (2020) determined that while concentrations of allicin and total phenolic compounds varied by stage on a per gram basis, the total accumulation of these compounds per individual plant increased with ramp weight.…”