Salamone Stefano, Aiello Nicola, Fusani Pietro, Rosa Antonella, Nieddu Mariella, Appendino Giovanni, Pollastro Federica
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Eastern Piedmont, Largo Guido Donegani 2/3, 28100 Novara, Italy.
PlantaChem S.r.l.s., Via Amico Canobio 4/6, 28100 Novara, Italy.
Plants (Basel). 2023 Jan 15;12(2):402. doi: 10.3390/plants12020402.
Musk yarrow ( subsp. (Wulfen) I. Richardson) is endemic to the Central Alps, and is used to flavour alcoholic beverages. Despite its popularity as aromatizing agent and its alleged beneficial effects on digestion, the phytochemical profile of the plant is still largely unknown and undiscovered. As a consequence, its authentication in aromatized products is impossible beyond sensory analysis allowing forgery. To address these issues, we phytochemically characterized a sample of musk yarrow from the Italian Eastern Alps, identifying, in addition to widespread phytochemicals (taraxasterol, apigenin), the guaianolides , , ; the seco-caryophyllane ; and the polymethoxylated lipophilic flavonoids , , and . The flavonoid xanthomicrol , a major constituent of the plant, was cytotoxic to HeLa cells, but only modestly affected primary 3T3 fibroblasts. On account of their stability, detectability by UV absorption, and concentration, the oxygenated flavonoids qualify as markers to validate the supply chain of the plant growers to consumers.
麝香蓍（亚种（Wulfen）I. Richardson）原产于阿尔卑斯山中部，用于为酒精饮料调味。尽管它作为增香剂很受欢迎，且据称对消化有益，但该植物的植物化学特征在很大程度上仍不为人知且未被发现。因此，除了感官分析外，无法在加香产品中对其进行鉴定，这就使得伪造行为成为可能。为了解决这些问题，我们对来自意大利东阿尔卑斯山的麝香蓍样本进行了植物化学特征分析，除了常见的植物化学物质（蒲公英甾醇、芹菜素）外，还鉴定出愈创木内酯、、；裂环石竹烷；以及多甲氧基亲脂性黄酮、、和。黄酮类化合物黄腐醇是该植物的主要成分，对宫颈癌细胞系HeLa细胞具有细胞毒性，但对原代3T3成纤维细胞的影响较小。鉴于其稳定性、可通过紫外吸收检测以及含量，氧化黄酮类化合物有资格作为验证从植物种植者到消费者供应链的标志物。
