College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
College of Plant Protection, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
Molecules. 2020 Apr 29;25(9):2083. doi: 10.3390/molecules25092083.
Roots provide anchorage and enable the absorption of water and micronutrients from the soil for plants. Besides these essential functions, roots are increasingly being recognized as an important organ for the production of diverse secondary metabolites. The goal of this study was to investigate the chemical composition and function of terpenoid secondary metabolites in roots of different cultivars of the popular ornamental plant Ramat. Although is known for rich production of secondary metabolites in its flower heads and leaves, the diversity of secondary metabolites in roots remains poorly characterized. In this study, 12 cultivars of were selected for comparative analysis. From their roots, a total of 20 terpenoids were detected, including four monoterpenes, 15 sesquiterpenes, and one diterpene. The cultivar 'She Yang Hong Xin Ju' exhibited the highest concentration of total terpenoids at approximately 730 µg·g fresh weight. Most cultivars contained sesquiterpenes as the predominant terpenoids. Of them, ()-β-farnesene was detected in all cultivars. Based on their terpenoid composition, the 12 cultivars were planed into four groups. To gain insights into the function of root secondary metabolites, we performed bioassays to assess their effects on growth of three species of pathogenic fungi: , , and . Significant variability in antifungal activity of the root extracts among different cultivars were observed. The cultivar 'Xiao Huang Ju' was the only cultivar that had significant inhibitory effects on all three species of fungi. Our study reveals the diversity of terpenoids in roots of and their function as a chemical defense against fungi.
根为植物提供锚固，并使植物能够从土壤中吸收水分和微量营养素。除了这些基本功能外，根越来越被认为是产生多种次生代谢物的重要器官。本研究的目的是研究不同品种 Ramat 观赏植物根中萜类次生代谢物的化学组成和功能。虽然 Ramat 以其花头和叶子中丰富的次生代谢产物而闻名，但根中次生代谢产物的多样性仍未得到很好的描述。在本研究中，选择了 12 个品种进行比较分析。从它们的根中，共检测到 20 种萜类化合物，包括 4 种单萜、15 种倍半萜和 1 种二萜。品种“she yang hong xin ju”的总萜类化合物浓度最高，约为 730 µg·g 鲜重。大多数品种都含有作为主要萜类化合物的倍半萜。其中，（）-β-法呢烯存在于所有品种中。根据萜类化合物的组成，将 12 个品种分为 4 组。为了深入了解根次生代谢物的功能，我们进行了生物测定，以评估它们对三种致病真菌：、和的生长的影响。不同品种根提取物的抗真菌活性存在显著差异。品种“xiao huang ju”是唯一对所有三种真菌都有显著抑制作用的品种。我们的研究揭示了 Ramat 根中萜类化合物的多样性及其作为抵御真菌的化学防御的功能。
