Spectroscopic and multivariate data‐based method to assess the metabolomic fingerprint of Mediterranean plants

Abstract

Introduction Most secondary metabolites from plants have a prominent defensive role and repellency against predators and microbial pathogens. These properties largely vary among plant species and offer potential applications as biologically active compounds in medicine as well in agriculture. Objectives We propose a new procedure that combine different spectroscopic techniques and multivariate data analysis to determine the chemical composition and the relative amounts of each metabolites and/or each class of organic compounds. The approach was used for a rapid identification of secondary metabolites from leaf and root of eight Mediterranean plants species. Methodology The polar and the apolar extracts of two leaves and roots of each plant were analysed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H‐NMR) and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS), respectively. Multivariate data analysis was used for a faster interpretation of data. Results The metabolic fingerprint of the Mediterranean plants, Acanthus mollis, Dittrichia viscosa, Festuca drymeja, Fraxinus ornus, Fagus sylvatica, Hedera helix, Quercus ilex, and Typha latifolia, showed a complex chemical composition, being specific for each species and plant tissue. Two alditols, mannitol and quercitol, were found in manna ash (Fraxinus ornus) and holm oak (Q. ilex) polar leaf extracts, respectively. The highest levels of aromatic compounds were found in D. viscosa and T. latifolia. Fatty acids were the predominant class of compounds in all apolar extracts under investigation. Triterpene were almost exclusively found in roots, except for holm oak, where they constitute 58% of total extract. Steroids were widespread in leaf extracts. Conclusion The major advantages of the proposed approach are versatility and rapidity, thus making it suitable for a fast comparison among species and plant tissue types.

Metabolomics and chemometrics of seven aromatic plants: Carob, eucalyptus, laurel, mint, myrtle, rosemary and strawberry tree

“…Leaves of the selected Mediterranean plants were extracted using the method described by Grauso et al 9 . Briefly, leaves were dried for three days under controlled temperature in a forced air circulation oven, at 30°C, and powdered finely with a pestle and mortar.…”

“…All samples were analysed in triplicate to ensure reproducibility. Validation of the extraction and identification were performed using a standardised sample preparation protocol previously developed and applied for plant analysis 9 . This enabled the creation of compound libraries that allowed effective compound identification and efficient dereplication.…”

“…Many aromatic plants originate from the Mediterranean area and their chemical composition has been explored using several targeted analysis, but very little research has been conducted on their whole metabolite content. To this end, non‐targeted metabolomics is a very powerful approach to achieve a comprehensive analysis of metabolite profiles of the plant 9,10 . Recently, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)‐based metabolomics approach has been applied to analyse seven aromatic Mediterranean plants traditionally used in cuisine to study the metabolic changes during different seasons 11 .…”

“…To this end, non-targeted metabolomics is a very powerful approach to achieve a comprehensive analysis of metabolite profiles of the plant. 9,10 Recently, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)based metabolomics approach has been applied to analyse seven aromatic Mediterranean plants traditionally used in cuisine to study the metabolic changes during different seasons. 11 However, to the best of our knowledge, there have been no studies based on a gas chromatographyÀmass spectrometry (GC-MS) metabolomics approach of aromatic plants from the Mediterranean area.…”

Metabolomic analysis and antioxidant activity of wild type and mutant chia (Salvia hispanica L.) stem and flower grown under different irrigation regimes

“…After the reaction, the sample was neutralized with a solution of NaOH 1 N, evaporated under nitrogen flow; then, FAMEs were extracted with 1 mL of hexane. 20 Non‐polar extracts were separated on a 30 m × 0.25 mm capillary column with 0.25 μm DB‐23 stationary phase (Agilent Technologies, UK). The temperature program was set as follows: 1 min of isothermal heating at 50 °C, followed by a 25 °C min −1 oven temperature ramp to 175 °C and then 4 °C min −1 to 230, held for 5 min.…”