Comparative Analysis of the Metabolomic Profile of Honeysuckle Lonicera caerulea L. from Four Eurasian Regions by...

Blue honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea) is widespread across the Eurasian continent, mainly in northern latitudes. Its berries are a rich source of biologically active compounds. In this study, plant samples collected in four regions of Russia separated by more than 10,000 km were examined in detail: St. Petersburg, Kamchatka, Magadan and the Far East (Vladivostok). The study was unique in that it covered almost the entire Eurasian continent in northern latitude, which had not been previously presented in other scientific studies. The study revealed the presence of 110 polyphenols and 34 compounds belonging to other chemical groups. In particular, honeysuckle berries were rich in polyphenols, including flavonoids, flavanones, flavanols, flavan-3-ols, anthocyanins, stilbenes, and lignans. The method of tandem mass spectrometry was used to identify biologically active substances from the extracts, which allows obtaining fairly accurate results. The metabolomic composition of L. caerulea berries originating from Kamchatka and Magadan showed the greatest diversity of polyphenols, which is associated with special northern climatic conditions and associated stress factors for plants. The results we obtained provide new data on the composition of the honeysuckle berry metabolome. The wealth of biologically active substances in blue honeysuckle berries can be very interestingly used in the development of both biologically active additives for pharmaceutical use and for the development of functional and specialized nutrition products for various population groups.