Effect of the environment on the secondary metabolic profile of Tithonia diversifolia: a model for environmental metabolomics of plants

Author(s)

Sampaio, Bruno Leite ^{[1, 2]} ; Edrada-Ebel, RuAngelie ^[1] ; Da Costa, Fernando Batista ^[2]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Strathclyde, Strathclyde Inst Pharm & Biomed Sci, 161 Cathedral St, Glasgow G4 0RE, Lanark - Scotland

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Pharmaceut Sci Ribeirao Preto, Lab Pharmacognosy, AsterBioChem Team, Av Cafe S-N, BR-14040903 Ribeirao Preto, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS; v. 6, JUL 7 2016.
• Web of Science Citations: 71

Abstract

Tithonia diversifolia is an invasive weed commonly found in tropical ecosystems. In this work, we investigate the influence of different abiotic environmental factors on the plant's metabolite profile by multivariate statistical analyses of spectral data deduced by UHPLC-DAD-ESI-HRMS and NMR methods. Different plant part samples of T. diversifolia which included leaves, stems, roots, and inflorescences were collected from two Brazilian states throughout a 24-month period, along with the corresponding monthly environmental data. A metabolomic approach employing concatenated LC-MS and NMR data was utilised for the first time to study the relationships between environment and plant metabolism. A seasonal pattern was observed for the occurrence of metabolites that included sugars, sesquiterpenes lactones and phenolics in the leaf and stem parts, which can be correlated to the amount of rainfall and changes in temperature. The distribution of the metabolites in the inflorescence and root parts were mainly affected by variation of some soil nutrients such as Ca, Mg, P, K and Cu. We highlight the environment-metabolism relationship for T. diversifolia and the combined analytical approach to obtain reliable data that contributed to a holistic understanding of the influence of abiotic environmental factors on the production of metabolites in various plant parts. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/13361-6 - Evaluation of seasonal variation of the main secondary metabolites and anti-inflammatory activity of extracts of Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl.) A. Gray (Asteraceae)
• Grantee: Bruno Leite Sampaio
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 10/51454-3 - Morphoanatomical, metabolomic and molecular studies as subsidies to the systematic of Asteraceae species and access to their pharmacological potential
• Grantee: Beatriz Appezzato da Glória
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants