Flavonoids Isolated From the Flowers of Camellia Chrysantha

Abstract

Camellia chrysantha (the golden camellia, golden tea) is a species of evergreen shrub or small tree belonging to the family Theaceae. The flowers and the leaves of this plant are used as tea and drank for its health benefits. The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical constituents of the flowers of Camellia chrysantha. Five flavonoids were isolated from the flowers of Camellia chrysantha (Theaceae), including (+)-catechin (1), (-)-epicatechin (2), quercetin (3), quercetin-3-O-methyl ether (4) and kaempferol (5). Their chemical structures were elucidated by spectroscopic data analysis and by comparison with those reported in the literature. Among five compounds, compounds 4 was isolated for the first time from this species.

Genotypic and Phenotypic Diversity of Endemic Golden Camellias Collected from the North of Vietnam

“…The nucleotide difference between them ranged from 0 -0.82 %, suggesting that Camellia chrysantha from Quang Ninh is a derivative of Camellia euphlebia from Bac Giang. [29] This study demonstrated for the first time the phylogenetic tree of five endemic Golden Camellias species of Vietnam in which C. petelotii, C. tamdaoensis, and C. tienii were considered endemic to Tam Dao region, Vinh Phuc province. [30] C. flava is endemic from Cuc Phuong, Ninh Binh province, [31] C. phanii is native species of Thai Nguyen province, [32] and C. euphlebia which was found in both Vietnam and China.…”

“…successfully used three genes, including matK , rbcL , and ITS2 , to identify the relationship between Camellia euphlebia and Camellia chrysantha . The nucleotide difference between them ranged from 0–0.82 %, suggesting that Camellia chrysantha from Quang Ninh is a derivative of Camellia euphlebia from Bac Giang [29] . This study demonstrated for the first time the phylogenetic tree of five endemic Golden Camellias species of Vietnam in which C. petelotii , C. tamdaoensis , and C. tienii were considered endemic to Tam Dao region, Vinh Phuc province [30] .…”

“…In previous studies, the identification was mostly based on the traditional characterization such as growth habitat and flower/leaf/fruit morphologies which showed many problems of misidentification and mislabeling. [10] Due to the similarity in the whole appearance of Golden Camellias, the morphological identification usually needs the competence of botanist experts by compulsorily using their flowers/fruits while access to these tissues was sometimes limited. Moreover, the number of newly discovered Golden Camellias species has been increasing in recent years while species are transported from one region to another, which modified their natural distribution.…”

“…These species have thus been cultivated in many provinces of Vietnam such as Quang Ninh, Vinh Phuc, Ninh Binh, Lam Dong… Even though the growing areas have been increasing dramatically in recent years, limited information was reported about the biological and chemical diversity of these native species, especially at molecular levels. In previous studies, the identification was mostly based on the traditional characterization such as growth habitat and flower/leaf/fruit morphologies which showed many problems of misidentification and mislabeling [10] . Due to the similarity in the whole appearance of Golden Camellias, the morphological identification usually needs the competence of botanist experts by compulsorily using their flowers/fruits while access to these tissues was sometimes limited.…”

Evaluation of In-vitro Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Fungal, Thrombolytic, Membrane Stabilizing and Cytotoxic Properties of (Camellia chrysantha Hu Tuyama)

“…It is indigenous to Vietnam and China. This species was discovered in Ba Che (Quang Ninh) in Vietnam [3]. Numerous trace elements, including germanium, selenium, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, and zinc, have been identified in Camellia chrysantha.…”