Gentiana asclepiadea L. from Two High Mountainous Habitats: Inter- and Intrapopulation Variability Based on Species’ Phytochemistry

Abstract

Natural populations of Gentiana asclepiadea L., located at two mountainous sites, were HPLC-analyzed regarding the contents of six representative secondary metabolites. The contents of swertiamarin (SWM), gentiopicrin (GP), sweroside (SWZ), mangiferin (MGF), isoorientin (ISOOR), and isovitexin (ISOV) were determined in six populations (three per study site), and separately for aboveground and belowground plant parts. PCA showed a clear separation of four groups according to the contents of the analyzed secondary metabolites. Out of six analyzed compounds, five were present in all samples and only one (SWZ) was found in Golija populations (belowground parts) but not in Vlasina populations, and its presence can be indicative of the geolocation of populations. Clear separation of groups was mostly affected by the different contents of chemical compounds in plant parts (aboveground versus belowground) and by the differences related to population origin (higher content of SWM and GP in belowground parts of individuals from Vlasina populations and higher content of MGF and ISOOR of individuals from Golija populations). The results of this study contribute to the spatiochemical profiling of G. asclepiadea populations and a better understanding of inter- and intrapopulation variability of pharmacologically important compounds.

Iridoids and flavonoids from the aerial parts of Gentiana asclepiadea L. with anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities

“…The structures were identified as depressine (1) [27], gentiopicroside (2) [28], loganic acid (3) [29], isoorientin (4) [30], isovitexin (5) [31], mangiferin (6) [32] and adenosine (7) [33] by comparison of their spectroscopic data with those reported in the literature. In previous studies, compounds 2-6 were detected in G. asclepiadea extracts by HPLC analysis, while the presence of 1 was tentatively identified [34][35][36]. In our very recent study, compounds 2-6 were also reported from another Gentiana species, G. cruciata [25].…”

Spasmolytic, Antimicrobial, and Antioxidant Activities of Spray-Dried Extracts of Gentiana asclepiadea L. with In Silico Pharmacokinetic Analysis

“…This finding was in agreement with the results of Mihailović et al (2013) [ 3 ], who detected mangiferin only in the aboveground parts of willow gentian, while it was absent in the underground parts. Popović et al (2021) also reported the organ-specific distribution of secondary metabolites of willow gentian and that mangiferin is dominantly accumulated in the aboveground plant parts [ 7 ].…”

“…The Serbian common names, “grass of stomach” and “grass of jaundice”, indicate the great confidence of the local population in the medicinal properties of willow gentian [ 5 ]. Furthermore, Gentiana species attract attention since they inhabit high mountainous regions where the local population has limited access to official healthcare and, therefore, they are forced to rely on their own experiences in self-medication [ 7 ]. This is consistent with the report by Olennikov et al (2015) [ 8 ] that nomadic people of Siberia use some Gentian species as bitter teas for the treatment of digestive disorders.…”

“…Phytochemical analyses show that the main bioactive ingredients isolated from Gentian species are secoiridoids (e.g., sweroside, swertiamarin, and gentiopicroside), xanthones (e.g., isogentisin and mangiferin), and flavonoids (e.g., isovitexin and isoorientin) [ 2 ]. The accumulation of secondary metabolites depends on the plant parts [ 7 ], and extraction conditions can significantly affect the extraction yield of bioactive compounds [ 15 ]. Hence, it is desirable to use standardized extraction procedures to avoid variations in the chemical composition of the extracts that might affect their bioactivity.…”

Phytochemical diversity within and among Sardinian populations of the endemic Teucrium marum L. (Lamiaceae) is determined by ecological factors

“…Their production depends on the physical and chemical properties of the ecosystem, like precipitation, temperature, and edaphic conditions, but also elevation [ [1] , [2] , [3] , [4] , 8 , 9 ]. Therefore, wild aromatic plants present high chemical polymorphisms in response to the contrasted environmental conditions and geographical distances of their different populations, leading to an important intra- and inter-population chemical variability [ [8] , [9] , [10] , [11] , [12] , [13] ]. In the same way, the variability of the essential oil (EO) composition of the natural populations is related also to various environmental, geographical, and genetic factors, which influence, in combination or independently, the essential oils (EOs) quantitative and qualitative composition and properties [ [1] , [2] , [3] , 9 , [14] , [15] , [16] , [17] , [18] , [19] , [20] , [21] , [22] , [23] , [24] , [25] ].…”