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. 2023 Apr 25;12(9):1762.
doi: 10.3390/plants12091762.

Phenological and Environmental Factors' Impact on Secondary Metabolites in Medicinal Plant Cotinus coggygria Scop

Alexandra-Gabriela Ciocan  1   2 , Victorița Tecuceanu  3 , Cristian Enache-Preoteasa  4 , Elena Monica Mitoi  1 , Florența Elena Helepciuc  1 , Tatiana Vassu Dimov  2 , Alexandra Simon-Gruita  2 , Gina Carmen Cogălniceanu  1
Affiliations

Phenological and Environmental Factors' Impact on Secondary Metabolites in Medicinal Plant Cotinus coggygria Scop

Alexandra-Gabriela Ciocan et al. Plants (Basel). .

Abstract

Cotinus coggygria Scop. (smoketree) is a phytotherapeutically valuable shrub growing in specific areas in many Eurasian countries. Exploring the intrinsic and extrinsic (abiotic) factors that modulate its secondary metabolism has fundamental and applicative importance. Three smoketree plants from the same population were studied for a period of 4.5 months. Their extracts were characterized using LC-MS/MS, HPLC-UV-VIS-DAD and colorimetric assays to determine the chemical composition and antioxidant potential. Multivariate analysis was applied to correlate the metabolomic data with registered habitat variables and phenological stages. The identified and quantified compounds belonged to the flavonoids (myricetin-3-O-galactoside, myricitrin) and hydrolysable tannins groups (pentagalloyl glucose, methyl gallate, methyl digallate I). Phenolic compounds and tannins were synthesized abundantly in the flowering and fruit stages, whereas flavonoids and triterpenes accumulated during senescence. The antioxidant activities varied between detection methods, samplings and individuals and were only punctually correlated with the compound contents in certain phenological stages. Based on the HCAbp analysis, the samples clustered under four groups, according to their metabolic profile. The CCA analysis revealed that during the reproductive stages (flower, fruit or seed), the secondary metabolism of the plants' leaves is sensitive to the action of abiotic factors, while in senescence, the metabolic content is according to the phenological phase. This study provides a first attempt at understanding the interplay between the habitat and the metabolome of smoketree.

Keywords: Cotinus coggygria; HPLC–UV–VIS–DAD; LC–MS/MS; antioxidant capacity; environmental factors; flavonoids; phenological stages; polyphenols; secondary metabolism.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Quantitative determinations of total compound classes in smoketree methanolic extracts: (A) phenolic content (PC), (B) flavonoid content (FC), (C) tannin content (TC) and (D) triterpenoid content (TTC). P1 = plant 1; P2 = plant 2; P3 = plant 3. The values with different letters are significantly different (p < 0.05), using one-way ANOVA and multiple pairwise-comparison Tukey’s test.
Figure 2
Figure 2
HPLC-UV-VIS-DAD chromatogram at 267 nm of smoketree methanolic extracts. The numbered peaks correspond to the identified and quantified compounds presented in Table 1, identified using LC–MS/MS.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Antioxidant capacities of smoketree methanolic extracts (expressed as mM TE/g DW): (A) DPPH, (B) FRAP, (C) CUPRAC and (D) TEAC. P1 = plant 1; P2 = plant 2; P3 = plant 3. The values with different letters are significantly different (p < 0.05), using one-way ANOVA and multiple pairwise-comparison Tukey’s test.
Figure 4
Figure 4
HCAbp based on the metabolic profile of smoketree leaves collected during this study (C1–C9), with samples grouped by similar metabolisms included in differently colored rectangles.
Figure 5
Figure 5
CCA based on the metabolic profile of smoketree leaves collected during this study (C1–C9), correlated to the registered environmental factors and phenological stages. The color of the dots shows the belonging of the samples to the groups with similar metabolism resulting from the HCAbp analysis (group 1—green, group 2—yellow, group 3—orange, group 4—red).
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