Berberine and Palmatine Distribution Across Plant Organs in Berberis darwinii: Basis for Selecting Superior-Producing Accessions

Abstract

Berberis darwinii, known for its bioactive alkaloids like berberine and palmatine, has gained attention for its medicinal properties. However, comprehensive studies on the specific bioactive molecules of Michay are lacking, as previous research has primarily focused on wild plants. Therefore, this study proposes to evaluate the alkaloid content in various tissues of B. darwinii collected from different locations, aiming to identify high-yielding accessions suitable for consistent bioactive alkaloid production. This research focuses on plants from a cultivated Michay orchard established five years ago. Leaves, stems, roots, and fruits from 96 accessions of Michay were collected to obtain an alkaloidal extract used for the characterization and comprehensive analysis of bioactive alkaloids through high-performance liquid chromatography. Based on these results, a search for the main outliers was conducted to identify the accessions with the highest alkaloid production. The results showed that roots had the highest concentrations of both berberine and palmatine, followed by stems, while leaves and seeds had lower levels, and the pulp from fruits had no detectable alkaloids. Notably, alkaloid concentrations reached up to 30,806 µg/g in roots, with accession C2P18 standing out for its combined total of 20,827.74 µg/g of berberine and 9978.27 µg/g of palmatine. Accession C3P26 showed the highest berberine concentration at 26,482.20 µg/g. These values underscore the wide variation in alkaloid accumulation and highlight the potential for selecting elite accessions with exceptionally high yields. These findings highlight the importance of plant selection for optimal alkaloid extraction. Choosing high-yielding accessions and standardizing cultivation practices will ensure a stable supply of berberine and palmatine for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and food industry applications.

Keywords: Berberis darwinii; alkaloids; berberine; palmatine; plant selection; regional variation; tissue-specific differences.

Figure 1

Berberine, palmatine, and berberine + palmatine concentrations (µg/g of DM) in different locations (A). Total alkaloid content (berberine + palmatine) in different organs of the Michay plant (B). Berberine content in different organs of the Michay plant (C). Palmatine content in different organs of the Michay plant (D). Different letters indicate significant differences (p < 0.05) among treatments within each location. Error bars represent the standard error (SE).

Figure 2

Box plots showing the concentrations of leaves alkaloids (µg/g of DM) in different locations: Nueva Imperial, Pitrufquén, Río Bueno, Temuco, and Valdivia. (A) Berberine, (B) palmatine, and (C) berberine + palmatine. The boxes represent the interquartile range (IQR), the horizontal line within each box indicates the median, whiskers extend to 1.5 times the IQR, and circles denote probable outliers and asterisks denote possible outliers.

Figure 3

Box plots showing the concentrations of stems alkaloids (µg/g of DM) in different locations: Nueva Imperial, Pitrufquén, Río Bueno, Temuco, and Valdivia. (A) Berberine, (B) palmatine, and (C) berberine + palmatine. The boxes represent the interquartile range (IQR), the horizontal line within each box indicates the median, whiskers extend to 1.5 times the IQR, and circles denote probable outliers and asterisks denote possible outliers.

Figure 4

Box plots showing the concentrations of roots alkaloids (µg/g of DM) in different locations: Nueva Imperial, Pitrufquén, Río Bueno, Temuco, and Valdivia. (A) Berberine, (B) palmatine, and (C) berberine + palmatine. The boxes represent the interquartile range (IQR), the horizontal line within each box indicates the median, whiskers extend to 1.5 times the IQR, and circles denote probable outliers and asterisks denote possible outliers.

Figure 5

Box plots showing the concentrations of seeds alkaloids (µg/g of DM) in different locations: Nueva Imperial, Pitrufquén, Río Bueno, Temuco, and Valdivia. (A) Berberine, (B) palmatine, and (C) berberine + palmatine. The boxes represent the interquartile range (IQR), the horizontal line within each box indicates the median, whiskers extend to 1.5 times the IQR, and circles denote probable outliers and asterisks denote possible outliers.

Figure 6

Frequency distribution of alkaloids in Michay accessions: Berberine + palmatine (A), berberine (B), and palmatine (C).

Figure 7

Workflow for selecting superior alkaloid-producing Michay accessions based on berberine and palmatine production from 96 accessions.

Figure 8

Representative HPLC chromatogram showing the separation of berberine (2) and palmatine (1) under the described analytical conditions: (A) represents the chromatogram of a Berberis darwinii extract, and (B) represents the chromatogram of the standard mixture.