Multi-platform comparison and phytochemical insights of Tripleurospermum taxa from Greece

The Tripleurospermum (L.) Sch.Bip, (Asteraceae) genus, comprises 30 to 40 species widely spread in the northern hemisphere, and across the Mediterranean region. Out of the seven taxa encountered in Greece, four can only be found in specific areas, with limited spread throughout the country. The current work describes the phytochemical investigation, using modern analytical techniques, of the differences between the aerial parts of T. tempskyanum and T. rosellum collected from two floristic regions of Greece (Lesvos isl. and Mt. Parnon) and the common chamomile (Matricaria recutita). GC-MS was first applied for the analysis of the essential oils and dichloromethane extracts, significantly differentiating M. recutita from the Tripleurospermum taxa. Afterwards, a fractionation of T. tempskyanum 's non-polar and polar extracts afforded their major compounds, thus assisting to the unambiguous distinction of different isomers of matricaria lactone, as well as the first-time isolation of demethyl brevisnosideyne. Finally, the polar extracts were analyzed by means of UPLC-Orbitrap-HRMS/MS, revealing similarities among the species, with profiles dominated by cinnamic and flavonoid derivatives and fatty acids, with quantitative differences being observed for specific groups of compounds. Overall, the current study provides novel insight on the phytochemical differentiation between the studied genera and species.