Comprehensive Metabolite Profile Uncovers the Bioactive Components, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities in Wild Tree Peony Leaves

Abstract

Tree peonies (Paeonia Section Moutan)—including nine wild species, which belong to subsections Vaginatae and Delavayanae—are economically important plants with ornamental, nutritional, and medicinal applications. In this study, for the first time, we determined the bioactive components and antioxidant activities and antibacterial activities of the newly grown leaves of nine wild tree peony species (WTPS). A total of 276 bioactive components were identified through non-targeted metabolomics; more than 80% of the 276 metabolites identified are terpenoids and flavonoids. A total of 42 differential metabolites were quantitatively determined. The main differential metabolites were Paeoniflorin, Luteoloside, Hyperin, Apigenin-7-glucoside, Rhoifolin, and Cantharidin. Such a high terpenoid and flavonoid content of the leaf extracts renders them as species with strong antibacterial capacities, and most of the bacteria tested showed greater sensitivity derived from the members of subsection Vaginatae than those of subsection Delavayanae. All WTPS have significant antioxidant activity; this activity is attributed to high levels of the total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC), of which, among the nine WTPS, P. lutea has the strongest antioxidant capacity. Our results provided a theoretical basis for the in-deep application of tree peony leaves for food, medical, and pharmaceutical industries.

Investigation of Volatile Components and Assessment of Antioxidant Potential in Seven Lamiaceae Plant Hydrosols

“…PCA, HCA, and OPLS-DA models were generated utilizing SIMCA 14.1. Correlation analysis was generated utilizing the OmicStudio tool [ 46 , 50 ].…”

“…The total ion chromatograms of the volatile components were obtained by GC-MS, and the volatile components were characterized by ONLINE search, referring to the NIST2014 standard spectra, and combining them with the relative retention time. The relevant literature and data were reviewed and the relative contents of the volatile components were analyzed by the peak-area normalization method [45,46]. The scavenging activity of DPPH radicals was assessed by referring to the method described by Dudonné et al with slight modifications [20].…”

Integrated Metabolomics Approach Reveals the Dynamic Variations of Metabolites and Bioactivities in Paeonia ostii ‘Feng Dan’ Leaves during Development

“…Although the antioxidant activities of P. ostii leaves at the bud stage, including ABTS +• , DPPH • , FRAP, and ORAC, have been investigated [37], their dynamic variation patterns during leaf development are still unclear. In general, bioactive constituents contribute to the biological activities of TPL.…”