A Comprehensive Phytochemical Analysis of Sideritis scardica Infusion Using Orbitrap UHPLC-HRMS

Area of Science:

• Phytochemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Pharmacognosy

Background:

• Sideritis scardica, known as mountain tea or Olympus tea, is an endemic Balkan plant.
• Traditional use suggests medicinal properties, necessitating detailed chemical profiling.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct an in-depth phytochemical analysis of Sideritis scardica infusion.
• To identify and quantify major secondary metabolites using advanced analytical techniques.

Main Methods:

• Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS) was employed.
• Quantitative determination utilized the external standard method.
• Dereplication and fragmentation analysis of specific compound classes were performed.

Main Results:

• Over 100 metabolites were identified, including various acids, saccharides, phenylpropanoid glycosides, iridoid glycosides, flavonoids, fatty acids, and organosulfur compounds.
• Verbascoside, isoscutellarein glycosides, methylisoscutelarein, hypolaetin, and caffeic acid were quantified as major compounds.
• Novel insights into the fragmentation patterns of caffeic acid oligomers and acylhexaric acids in S. scardica were achieved.

Conclusions:

• The comprehensive phytochemical profile of S. scardica infusion was elucidated.
• This study provides valuable chemical data supporting the traditional use of S. scardica.
• Advanced analytical methods revealed the complex chemical composition of this medicinal plant.