The chemotaxonomic significance of laricytrin and medicagenic acid in the tribe Trigonelleae

Abstract

JURZYSTA, M., BURDA, S., OLESZEE, W., and PLOSZYNSKI, M. 1988. The chemotaxonormic significance of laricytrin and medicagenic acid in the tribe Trigonelleae. Can. J. Bot. 66: 363 -367. Flavonoids Prom fresh flowers of 35 species and medicagenic acid from leaf tissue of 44 species of the tribe Trigonelleae Schulz (Fabaceae) were examined using thin-layer chromatography. Moreover, medicagenic acid glycosides in the leaf tissue were dso analyzed by the hemolytic test. Compounds tentatively identified as kaempfeml, quercetin, myricetin, laricytrin, and medicagenic acid were present in hydrolysates of all species of the genus Medicago, including five species of debated taxonomic position, M. mdiata, M. hybrida, M. cretacea, M. arborea, and M. lupulina. Laricytrin and medicagenic acid, while larely sceuning in the plant kingdom, may be regarded as chemical markers that distinguish the genus Medicago in Trigonelleae and may further support the placement of the five questionable species into Medicago. Laricytrin and medicagenic acid were dso found in hydrolysates of three species of the section Buceras of the genus Trigonella (T. monantha, T. monspeliuca, and T. polyceratia) and were not found in any of the remaining tested species of Trigonella or in the genus Melilotus. This chemical affinity of the three Trigonella species to Medicago gives further support to the placement of these species in genus Medicago. JURZYSTA, M., BURDA, S., OLESZEE, W., et PLOSZYNSKI, M. 1988. The chemotaxonomic significance of laricytrin and medicagenic acid in the tribe Trigonelleae. Can. J. Bot. 66 : 363 -367. Les flavonoides des fleurs frafches de 35 es@ces et l'acide mddicagknique des tissus foliaires de 44 espkces de la tribu Trigonelleae Schulz (Fabaceae) furent CtudiCs g l'aide de la chromatographie sur couche mince. De plus, les glycosides d'acide m&cagCnique des tissus foliaires furent analysQs par le test hkmolytique. Les composCs identifih expt5rimentalement c o m e kaempfCml, quercCtine, myricktine, laricytrine et acide m6dicagCnique Ctaient pdsents dans les hydrolysats de toutes les espi?ces du genre Medicago incluant cinq esp&ces de position taxonomique controversde : M. radiata, M. hybridrr, M. cretacea, M. arborea et M. lupulina. La laricytrine et l'acide m&IicagCnique, bien que rarement ~n c o n t d s dans le rkgne vCgCtal, peuvent i2tre considdds c o m e des marqueurs chimiques qui distinguent le genre Medicago dans la tribu Trigonelleae. De plus, ils peuvent apporter un appui dans la classification des cinq espikes controverskes du genre Medicago. La laricytrine et l'acide m6dicagCnique Ctaient aussi pdsents dans les hydrolysats de trois espbces de la seetion Bucew du genre Trigonella (T. monantha, T. monspeliaca et T. polyceratia). Bs n'ont pas Ct C dkcelCs dans aucune des autres e s e e s de Trigonella ou dans le g e m Melilotus ayant fait l'objet de cette etude. Cette affinit6 chimique des trois espkces de Trigonella au genre Medicago apprte un appui de plus h la classification de ces espkces dans le genre Medicago. [Tr...

Allelopathy

“…Moreover, their presence was also confirmed in M. lupulina roots (Oleszek et al, 1988a). It has been shown that while M. media contained in its roots at least 11 medicagenic acid glycosides (Oleszek and Jurzysta, 1986a), the 3-0-mono-and 3,28-di-( O-glucopyranoside) of medicagenic acid were the only compounds of this kind in M. lupulina roots.…”

Chemical and Biological Activity of Triterpene Saponins from Medicago Species

“…Their content in the plant material changes as a function of several factors, such as plant organs, genotype, cutting, year and stage of growth, and environmental effects, as reported for M. sativa, the most studied species of the genus [50][51][52][53][54][55]. The chemotaxonomic significance of saponins has also been investigated as their composition can discriminate among Medicago species [56][57][58][59]. The occurrence of saponins in the Medicago genus is long known [60], and their composition has been studied in several species.…”

Comprehensive Phytochemical Characterization of Herbal Parts from Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulnerariaL.) by LC/MSnand GC/MS

“…Finally, 73 was unequivocally assigned by comparison with a silylated reference standard ( 73 ‐TMS). Even though the occurrence of 73 has been previously reported as saponin constituent from other members of the Fabaceae family, it has not been found in A. vulneraria before [41–44] . Thus, an interesting task of future investigations may be the isolation and structure elucidation of medicagenic acid glycosides (saponins) from the polar fraction of A. vulneraria .…”