Metabolomics Analysis Revealed the Characteristic Metabolites of Hemp Seeds Varieties and Metabolites Responsible for Antioxidant Properties

Abstract

Hemp seeds are rich in metabolites such as protein, lipids and flavonoids, which are beneficial to health and can be used as a nutritional supplement. Few studies have focused on the metabolites of different hemp seed varieties. In the current study, using widely targeted metabolomics based on UHPLC-QQQ-MS/MS, we compared the metabolomes of seeds from seven hemp varieties with different uses. A total of 1,001 metabolites, including 201 flavonoids, 86 alkaloids, and 149 phenolic acids, were identified. Flavonoids, organic acids, alkaloids, lipids, and fatty acids with high nutritional value are important to investigate the differences between hemp accessions. By using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), six modules of closely related metabolites were identified. And, we identified the metabolite characteristics and hub metabolites of each variety. Then, we experimentally determined antioxidant activity of seven varieties and demonstrated that alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, terpenes, and free fatty acids are responsible for the antioxidant activity of hemp seeds. Our research provides useful information for further investigation of the chemical composition of hemp seeds.

Phenolic profiles of non‐industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) seed varieties collected from four different Moroccan regions

“…Furthermore, other studies have reported even lower IC 50 in DPPH (0.2–0.5 mg mL −1 ) and ABTS (0.03–0.5 mg mL −1 ) of several hemp seed fractions (Rea Martinez et al ., 2020). Values of 69–91% DPPH inhibition and 17.39–32.53 μmol Fe 2+ g −1 seeds for the FRAP test were obtained in seeds of seven Chinese varieties (Ning et al ., 2022). Despite the use of different methods or units to express their results, all these studies mentioned above prove the potential of cannabis seeds as a natural source of antioxidants.…”

“…Several studies have linked the antioxidant activity of extracts from several plant species, including cannabis seeds, to the content of secondary metabolites and, more particularly, phenolic compounds (Chen et al ., 2012; Ning et al ., 2022). Due to their structure, these substances can neutralise free radicals, chelate metals and/or reduce oxidants.…”

“…Some cannabinoids were also not detected in cannabis seed extracts, such as cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), which was absent in the Critical variety from all regions (Table 2). However, it was suggested that cannabinoids are probably not synthesised in seeds but could be residues from aerial parts during seed cleaning (Ning et al ., 2022).…”

Quality assessment of Astragali Radix based on pseudo‐targeted metabolomics and chemometric approach

“…WGCNA is a tool that identifies sets of metabolites with highly synergistic changes. The metabolites with high similarity are clustered in the same module [29]. Quasi‐content data of 114 compounds were used in WGCNA to further explore the relationship between them.…”

Quality assessment of Astragali Radix based on pseudo-targeted metabolomics approach

“…WGCNA is a tool that identi es sets of metabolites with highly synergistic changes. The metabolites with high similarity are clustered in the same module (Ning et al 2022). Quasi-content data of 114 compounds were used in WGCNA to further explore the relationship between them.…”