Lignan profiles of indoor-cultivated Anthriscus sylvestris

In a previous study we have shown that different populations of Anthriscus sylvestris (L.) Hoffm. (Apiaceae) yield significantly different lignan profiles. In this study we collected the seeds of A. sylvestris from 4 locations, one in England and three in The Netherlands. The seeds germinated and were grown under identical laboratory conditions. After 5 months the plants were harvested and the lignan profile in the roots and aerial parts was analysed using GC-MS. The plants from the seeds of the 4 locations showed several significant phenotypic differences in, for instance, dry-weight. However the 4 groups did not differ significantly in their lignan profile in their roots. The lignans in the roots of A. sylvestris, deoxypodophyllotoxin, yatein and anhydropodorhizol reached, on average, equal amounts in all 4 groups. Within the 4 groups, however, a large quantitative variation in lignan profile between the individual plants was observed, pointing to within-population genetic differences between individual plants.