Author(s):
Malmir, Maryam ; Serrano, Rita ; Lima, Katelene ; Duarte, Maria Paula ; Moreira da Silva, Isabel ; Silva Lima, Beatriz ; Caniça, Manuela ; Silva, Olga
Date: 2022
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/150580
Origin: Repositório Institucional da UNL
Project/scholarship:
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDP%2F04138%2F2020/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDP%2F04077%2F2020/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDB%2F04077%2F2020/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT//SFRH%2FBD%2F125310%2F2016/PT;
Subject(s): Asphodelus bento-rainhae; Asphodelus macrocarpus; herbal medicines; quality control; root tubers; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Ecology; Plant Science
Description
Funding Information: Fieldwork in 2014 was supported by grants of the Russian Fund of Basic Research (RFBR) Projects: No.12-04-00081_a, No.12-05-98000-p-Siberia_a to M. A. Erbajeva, No. 20-05-00247, No. 19-17-00216 to A. Shchetnikov and the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) Project P 23061-N19 to G. Daxner-Höck. The current research was performed within Projects: No. FWSG -2021-0003, No. 20-05-00163 to M. A. Erbajeva and No. 0284-2021-0003, No. 075-15-2021-63 to A. Shchetnikov. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors.
Root tubers of Asphodelus bento-rainhae subsp. bento-rainhae (AbR), an endemic species with relevant interest due to conservation concerns, and Asphodelus macrocarpus subsp. macrocarpus (AmR) have been traditionally used for culinary and medicinal purposes, mainly associated with skin infection and inflammation. The present study aims to establish the quality control criteria for the proper characterization of dried root tubers of both species as herbal substances, together with their preclinical safety assessments. Botanical identification using macroscopic and microscopic techniques and phytochemical evaluation/quantification of the main classes of marker secondary metabolites, including phenolic compounds (flavonoid, anthraquinone, condensed and hydrolysable tannin) and terpenoids were performed. Additionally, in vitro genotoxicity/mutagenicity was evaluated by Ames test. Evident morphological differences in the development of tubercles (3.5 × 1 cm in AbR and 8.7 × 1.4 cm in AmR) and microscopicly in the arrangements and characteristics of the vascular cylinder (metaxylem and protoxylems) were found. Anatomical similarities such as multiple-layered epidermis (velamen) and the cortex area with thin-walled idioblasts (134 ± 2.9 µm and 150 ± 27.6 µm) containing raphide crystals (37.2 ± 14.2 µm and 87.7 ± 15.3 µm) were observed between AbR and AmR, respectively. Terpenoids (173.88 ± 29.82 and 180.55 ± 10.57 mg OAE/g dried weight) and condensed tannins (128.64 ± 14.05 and 108.35 ± 20.37 mg CAE/g dried weight) were found to be the main class of marker secondary metabolites of AbR and AmR extracts, respectively. No genotoxicity (up to 5 mg/plate, without metabolic activation) was detected in these medicinal plants’ tested extracts. The obtained results will contribute to the knowledge of the value of the Portuguese flora and their future commercial cultivation utilization as raw materials for industrial and pharmaceutical use.
