Coumarins of Lovage Roots (Levisticum officinale W.D.J.Koch): LC-MS Profile, Quantification, and Stability during Postharvest Storage

Abstract

Lovage (Levisticum officinale W.D.J. Koch) is a known aromatic apiaceous species that is widely used as a culinary and medicinal plant. Traditionally, more scientific attention has been paid to lovage volatiles, while other groups of compounds have been underutilized. In this study, metabolites of fresh lovage roots were investigated by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry, and 25 compounds were identified, including coumarins as basic components and minor hydroxycinnamates; most were detected for the first time in the plant. Four major coumarins (including apterin, xanthotoxin, isopimpinellin, and pimpinellin) were successfully separated by a validated HPLC–PDA method, and the fresh roots of seven lovage cultivars as well as the dry roots of commercial lovage were quantified. The coumarin content deviation was 1.7–2.9 mg/g in the fresh roots and 15–24 mg/g in the dry roots. A variation in the coumarin level was found during storage of the fresh lovage roots at chill and room temperatures, while storage of the dried roots at room temperature showed the lowest loss of target compounds. This new information about the metabolites of lovage indicates the prospects of the plant roots as a source of dietary coumarins.

Hogweed Seed Oil: Physico–Chemical Characterization, LC-MS Profile, and Neuroprotective Activity of Heracleum dissectum Nanosuspension

“…The high coumarin content in HSO allowed us to realize profiling by HPLC–PDA–ESI–tQ–MS/MS. This led to the discovery of 38 compounds, which were identified on the basis of retention times as well as UV and mass spectrometric data after comparison with reference substances and literature data [ 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 ] ( Figure 4 , Table 4 ). The structures of thirty-two coumarins were accurately identified, and the structures were predicted for six compounds ( Figure 5 ).…”

Anabolic metabolism of autotoxic substance coumarins in plants

“…Coumarins found in the primary roots were mainly concentrated in the periderm, cortex, and phloem, whereas the coumarins in lateral roots were mainly concentrated in the phloem. The furanocoumarins of Levisticum officinale were mainly distributed in the roots ( Olennikov, 2023 ). Furthermore, the relative abundance of different autotoxic compounds in different parts of the alfalfa plant reportedly reflect the following pattern: leaf >seed >root >flower >stem ( Chon et al., 2002 ; Wang, 2008 ; Wang, Wu & Zhao, 2017 ).…”

Coumarins of Ferulopsis hystrix: LC–MS Profiling and Gastroprotective and Antioxidant Activities of Skimmin and Peucenidin

“…Unsubstituted vaginidiol (18) was identified after a comparison of its spectral parameters with that of the reference substance, and it has been previously found in an F. hystrix of Mongolian origin [22]. Two unknown vaginidiol O-pentosyl-O-hexosides, 4 and 5, with m/z 557 [47], the known glycoside apterin (vaginidiol 1 -O-glucoside, 10) [54], and the unknown vaginidiol O-acetyl-O-hexoside (17) with m/z 467, are new phytocomponents of F. hystrix. The remaining vaginidiol derivatives are mono-and diesters of acetic, angelic/senecic, and isovaleric/2-methylbutyric acids, methanol, and ethanol, and they are known to exist in apiaceous plants.…”

“…The chromatographic separation of the F. hystrix root extract identified 42 compounds (including various derivatives of umbelliferone, vaginidiol, and peucedanol [46][47][48][54][55][56][57]), and the mass spectra showed which typical ions were produced via the protonation and loss of fragments of hexose (m/z 162), pentose (m/z 132), and acetyl (m/z 42). Moreover, a cascade of adduct ions were produced using lithium, sodium, and potassium, which is typical for coumarins [48] (Figure 2, Table 1).…”