Phytochemical Characterization of Wild Hops (Humulus lupulus ssp. lupuloides) Germplasm Resources From the Maritimes Region of Canada

Abstract

A survey was conducted in the Maritimes region of eastern Canada to measure the phytochemical diversity of prenylchalcone, soft resins (alpha & beta acids), and flavonol constituents from 30 unique wild-growing populations of hops (Humulus lupulus L.). Based on cone chemometrics, the majority of accessions (63.3%) are native Humulus lupulus ssp. lupoloides, with cones containing both xanthogalenol and 4'-O-methyl xanthohumol as chemotaxonomic indicator molecules. Interestingly, the leaves of all verified Humulus lupulus ssp. lupulus accessions accumulated high proportions (>0.20 total flavonols) of two acylated flavonol derivatives (kaempferol-3-O-(6''-O-malonyl)-β-D-glucopyranoside; quercetin-3-O-(6''-O-malonyl)-β-D-glucopyranoside), both previously unreported from hops leaves. The native lupuloides accessions examined possess only trace amounts of this compound in their leaves (<0.10 total flavonols), suggesting its potential utility as a novel, leaf-derived chemotaxonomic marker for subspecies identification purposes. A leaf-derived taxonomic marker is useful for identifying wild-growing accessions, as leaves are present throughout the entire growing season, whereas cones are only produced late in summer. Additionally, the collection of cones from 10-meter tall wild plants in overgrown riparian habitats is often difficult. The total levels of alpha acids, beta acids, and prenylchalcones in wild-collected Maritimes lupuloides cones are markedly higher than those previously reported for lupuloides individuals in the westernmost extent of its native range and show potentially valuable traits for future cultivar development, while some may be worthy of immediate commercial release. The accessions will be maintained as a core germplasm resource for future cultivar development.

Hop (Humulus lupulus L.): Traditional and Present Use, and Future Potential

“…lupulus. Myrcene seems to be the main aromatic component in both of them and the monoterpene composition is similar as in other varieties, but there are differences in the sesquiterpene fraction of the oil (Almaguer et al 2014;Brendel et al 2019;Knobloch et al 1982;McCallum et al 2019).…”

Promising Herbs as Alternatives for Women with Symptoms of Menopause: A Review

“…It includes phytoestrogens produced from plants that have estrogenic or anti-estrogenic effects on humans. 76 In a 12-week randomized controlled study, 120 women were randomly assigned to one of two groups: Hop or placebo pills. During weeks 4 and 5, the Hop group had considerably fewer hot flashes than the control group.…”

Ultra-Micro-Scale-Fractionation (UMSF) as a Powerful Tool for Bioactive Molecules Discovery

“…Exceptionally strong brine shrimp toxicity was observed for individual fractions in Nannyberry (well C1) and Hops (wells F6, F7), yielding leading candidates for further characterization. Examining the UV-Vis and MS chromatographic profiles generated during the preliminary fractionation process ( Figure 2 C, Figure 4 A and Supplemental File 1 ), a variety of prenylchalcone, alpha and beta acid derivatives were identified in hops fractions F6 and F7, along with trace amounts of oxidized alpha and beta derivatives ( Table 1 A); all these compounds having been commonly reported from this botanical source [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ].…”

“…Individual molar concentrations for pure compounds in each bioassay well could be calculated from integrated areas under the curve, using linear regression lines generated from ICE-3 primary reference standard calibration curves ( Figure 4 C,D; Table 1 C,D) [ 23 ]. Based on the bioassay results from individual wells containing pure compounds ( Figure 4 C,D; Table 1 C,D), it is clear the hops beta acids including colupulone, lupulone, adlupuluone, and postlupulone are the principal toxic molecules vs. brine shrimp.…”