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Author Spotlight: Discovering New Alkaloids in Plants with Advanced Mass Spectrometry Techniques

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Published on: March 8, 2024

Four almost unexplored species of Brazilian Connarus (Connaraceae): Chemical composition by ESI-QTof-MS/MS-GNPS and a

Luís Fernando Nunes Alves Paim¹, Paulo Roberto Dos Santos¹, Cássio Augusto Patrocinio Toledo²

¹Laboratory of Biotechnology of Natural and Synthetics Products, University of Caxias do Sul, Brazil.

Phytochemical Analysis : PCA

|September 12, 2021

Abstract

Introduction:

Species of Connaraceae are globally used in traditional medicines. However, several of these have not been studied regarding their chemical composition, and some are even at risk of extinction without proper studies. Therefore, the chemical composition and pharmacological potential of Connarus blanchetii Planch., Connarus nodosus Baker, Connarus regnellii G. Schellenb., and Connarus suberosus Planch., which were previously unknown, were analyzed.

Objective:

This work aims to investigate the pharmacological potential of these four Connarus species. The chemical composition of different extracts was determined by high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), with subsequent analysis by the GNPS platform and competitive fragmentation modeling (CFM).

Materials And Methods:

Leaf extracts (C. blanchetii, C. nodosus, C. regnellii, and C. suberosus) and bark extracts (C. regnellii and C. suberosus) were obtained by decoction, infusion, and maceration. LC/HRMS data were submitted to the GNPS platform and evaluated using CFM in order to confirm the structures.

Results:

The HRMS-GNPS/CFM analysis indicated the presence of 23 compounds that were mainly identified as phenolic derivatives from quercetin and myricetin, of which 21 are unedited in the Connarus genus. Thus, from the analyses performed, we can identify different compounds with pharmacological potential, as well as the most suitable forms of extraction.

Conclusion:

Using HRMS-GNPS/CFM, 21 unpublished compounds were identified in the studied species. Therefore, our combination of data analysis techniques can be used to determine their chemical composition.

Keywords:

Connaraceae extractive methods high-resolution mass spectrometry molecular network phenolic compounds

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