Foliar Content of Phenolic Compounds in Platanthera bifolia from Natural and Transformed Ecosystems at Different Stages of Orchid Development

Abstract

The representatives of the family Orchidaceae Juss. are often used as a source of natural antioxidants, including phenolic compounds, which play an important role in plant resistance under stressful conditions. This study investigates the content of lipid peroxidation products and soluble phenolic compounds in flowering plants of Platanthera bifolia (L.) Rich. growing in natural (forest park) and transformed (fly ash dumps of Thermal Power Stations) ecosystems of the Middle Urals, Russia, as well as the content of flavonoids at different stages of orchid development. Research has shown that in disturbed habitats, P. bifolia is capable of forming abundant populations containing a significant portion of the flowering plants. Additionally, flowering orchids from fly ash dumps contained an average 20 % more lipid peroxidation products, which indicated a shift in the redox balance towards oxidative processes. An increase by 2.4 times on average in the content of phenolic compounds, particularly flavonoids, was observed at all developmental stages of the plants growing in the transformed ecosystems. Regardless of the growing conditions, the non-flowering mature individuals were characterized by a minimum content of flavonoids, probably due to pre-generative metabolic restructuring. Yet, in the period of orchid blooming, the flavonoid content in their leaves increased again in all study sites. At the same time, the flavonoid proportion of the total soluble phenolic compounds was 42 % in the natural habitat, increasing to 66 % on average in the transformed ecosystems. Thus, flavonoids are involved in the protective adaptive responses of P. bifolia, not only ensuring the survival of this orchid but also contributing to the implementation of its ontogenetic program

Traditional, Therapeutic Uses and Phytochemistry of Terrestrial European Orchids and Implications for Conservation

“…Finally, leaves/aerial parts of both P. bifolia and P. chlorantha were employed as herbal remedies, to cure rheumatism, neuralgias, and skin ulcers, respectively. In the case of P. bifolia, well-known flavonoids like quercetin and kaempferol were detected in these tissues by Williams [ 169 ]; the presence of phenolic compounds, although variable between polluted and unpolluted sites, was confirmed by Maleva et al [ 237 ].…”

“…It is known that the concentration of antioxidants such as polyphenols or carotenoids can change depending on plant physiological/phenological status ([ 256 ] and references therein). For example, Maleva et al [ 237 ] found that leaves from plants belonging to disturbed habitats showed an increased content of flavonoids. The sources of variability in orchid floral colour and scent have been already reviewed by Dormont et al [ 257 ].…”