Influence of Harvesting Time on Phenolic and Mineral Profiles and Their Association with the Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Effects of Atractylodes japonica Koidz

Abstract

Plant phytochemical accumulation is influenced by various external factors that change with the seasons (e.g., harvesting time). Atractylodes japonica, an important medicinal plant rich in bioactive compounds, is used to treat several human diseases. We analyzed the influence of harvesting time on phenolic compound concentration and antioxidant activity of A. japonica roots. We investigated the correlation between phenolic compound and minerals contents and antioxidant activity in different harvests. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents varied significantly with the harvesting time. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) analysis revealed significant changes in the concentration of various phenolics between harvests. The content of different types of phenolics were significantly higher in the samples collected in October. Among them, chlorogenic acids (133,833.30 µg/g dry weight of root extract) were the most dominant phytochemical compounds detected. Samples harvested in October had higher concentrations of flavonoids, including rutin, orientin, vitexin, and apigenin. Roots harvested in October had a significantly higher (p < 0.05) antioxidant activity than that of those harvested later. Root mineral concentrations also varied with the harvest time. The analysis revealed that macro elements such as Ca ad Mg contents were significantly increased with delaying harvesting time, whereas a different trend was observed for the microelements including Fe, Cu, Al, and As contents in the October harvest. We also found a significant relationship between antioxidant activity and phenolic compound content. The most abundant minerals (Ca, Mg, Mn, Fe, and Al) correlated positively with the antioxidant activity indicating that these elements and compounds may be associated with the A. japonica antioxidant potential. Furthermore, A. japonica root extracts inhibited NIH/3T3 cellular proliferation in a season- and dose-dependent manner. Hence, harvesting time influenced the antioxidant properties and phenolic compound accumulation of A. japonica roots. These results indicate that the harvesting time is essential for obtaining the specific phytochemicals.

Effect of chicken manure and chemical fertilizer on the yield and qualities of white mugwort at dissimilar harvesting times

“…At the third harvest, the white mugwort treated all three chicken manure dosages had the highest total phenolic content (11.26–11.77 mg gallic acid equivalents g -1 fresh weight), while the white mugwort treated with chicken manure at medium and high dosage rates showed the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity (1.59–1.65 μmol TEAC g -1 fresh weight) (Figs 3 and 4 ). According to the report by Ghimire et al [ 43 ], there is a positive correlation between micronutrients including Zn and Mn in plant tissues and the phenolic compounds of Atractylodes japonica Koidz. The higher total phenolic content in chicken manure treated plants with the longer harvesting time in this study may be explained by the greater opportunity for chicken manure micronutrient take-up, as it was applied after each harvesting.…”

“…This suggested that other factors may play a role in total phenolic content and DPPH radical scavenging activity of the white mugwort. Several studies show a correlation between total phenolic content and DPPH radical scavenging activity under other environmental conditions, such as precipitation, humidity, and solar radiation intensity [ 43 , 45 ]. To support this, Kałużewicz et al [ 46 ] revealed that the concentration of phenolic content in cauliflower is significantly increased with the amount of irrigation water.…”

In Vitro Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Activities of Piper betle L. Ethanolic Leaf Extract on Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213

“…Phytochemicals in the plant can differ significantly depending on the environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and precipitation. [35][36][37] Of the phytochemicals, eugenol and hydroxychavicol are one of the most widely considered responsible for the antibacterial properties of P. betle. In the Philippines, eugenol was reported while hydroxychavicol has not been identified yet.…”

In vivo hypotensive activity on the albinos rat and in vitro antioxidant activities of aqueous extract from Guibourtia tessmannii (Harms) J. Leonard (Cesalpiniaceae) stem barks

“…Qualitative studies have shown that the bark of G. tessmannii contained flavonoids, triterpenes, sterols, alkaloids, tannins and polyphenols (Koumba et al, 2019;Deeh Defo et al, 2018). The environment, organ harvesting periods, organ storage conditions and extraction solvents can influence the synthesis and expression of plant phytochemical components (Bimal et al, 2021). Antioxidants present in G. tessmannii are part of the therapeutic arsenal of arteriosclerosis and cancers that are the facilitators of high blood pressure (Sorriento et al, 2018).…”