No abstract

This work aimed to study the chemical composition of the crystalline mass obtained from the acetone extract of the roots of Lactuca serriola L. Its characterization by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses led to the identification of 21 substances including palmitic acid, methyl ester, n-hexadecanoic acid, methyl-trans-oleate, 11-octadecenoic acid methyl ester, methyl stearate, oleic acid, 11-eicosenoic acid methyl ester, common in the most plant species. Furthermore, some triterpenoid compounds [olean-12-en-3-one, 13,27-cycloursan-3-one, ursa-9(11),12-dien-3-yl acetate, lupeol, germanicol, lup-20( 29)-en-3-ol, acetate, (3β)] characteristic of the L. serriola were identified. Despite the richness of chemical composition and the wide availability in Azerbaijani flora, L. serriola is still uninvestigated. Therefore, the study of the qualitative and quantitative composition of this plant represent interest.

The family Asteraceae comprises many species that have medicinal importance in terms of their chemical components. Some species of the genus Lactuca have been used in folk medicine for a long time ago. One of them is L. serriola L., a wild plant that is a weed in agriculture. To date, few studies have been published on its chemical profile. In this research, we investigated the volatile compounds and fatty acids of L. serriola roots, leaves, and seeds. To this end, a microsteam distillation-solid phase microextraction technique (MSD-SPME) followed by a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis was performed. Aldehydes and terpenoids were predominantly present in the leaves with phenylacetaldehyde as the major compound (up to 18%) while 2-ethyl hexanol (up to 36.9%) was the most abundant substance in the roots. Among the fatty acids, nonadecanoic acid (38.3%) was the main one detected in the leaves, while linoleic acid (57.7%) was predominant in the seeds. Some of the detected constituents have already demonstrated importance in medicinal and industrial areas. As a result, this species could be further investigated for its biological features and be considered as a source of ingredients beneficial in different fields, including pharmaceuticals.

Research work is devoted to the chemical investigation of the roots of the Lactuca tatarica (L.) C. A. Mey. by gas chromatography – mass spectrometry method. From the crude extract that is obtained from the roots, the presence of natural compounds of various groups has been detected. As a result, 25 different substances including acyclic compounds (methyl myristate, palmitic acid methyl ester, ethyl palmitate, methyl elaidate, methyl stearate, ethyl oleate, etc.) have been identified from the solid mass of the research object. The most abundant fatty acid esters are methyl oleate (6.831 %) and palmitic acid methyl ester (2.902 %). In addition, the triterpenoid compounds (lupeol acetate, cycloartenol acetate, 3β,13β,14β-13, 27-cycloursan-3-ol acetate) which are characteristic of the L. tatarica have been identified. Lupeol acetate is the predominant component which makes up 56.35 % of the whole obtained substances. Elaidic acid which belongs to the fatty acids group, bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate which belongs to the aromatic dicarboxylic acid esters and other compounds have also been identified. Among the identified substances, some are found previously from the other species of the genus Lactuca L. but with regards to the L. tatarica to the best of our knowledge the majority of them are firstly being reported in this study. The investigated plant is widespread in the lowlands and coastal areas of Azerbaijani flora. The availability of some pharmacological effective compounds (lupeol acetate, 3β,13β,14β-13, 27-cycloursan-3-ol acetate, olean-12-en-3-yl acetate) makes the research significant in terms of chemical aspect. Therefore, the results of this investigation open up new horizons for future studies in various fields including the pharmaceutical one.