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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Metabolism and Chemodiversity
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1472204

Pharmacophylogenetic Insights into Scutellaria strigillosa Hemsl.: Chloroplast genome and untargeted metabolomics, quantitative analysis and antibacterial analysis

Provisionally accepted
Jie Shen Jie Shen 1Panpan Li Panpan Li 1Hairong Chu Hairong Chu 1*Yong Li Yong Li 1*Xiangying Meng Xiangying Meng 1Zhenpeng Li Zhenpeng Li 1*Jiayao Dou Jiayao Dou 1*Wentao Wang Wentao Wang 1Chenyang Liu Chenyang Liu 1*Peigen Xiao Peigen Xiao 2Chunnian He Chunnian He 2*Zhengjun Yi Zhengjun Yi 1*
  • 1 Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, China
  • 2 Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Scutellaria strigillosa Hemsl., known for its traditional use in Chinese herbal medicine, is valued for heatclearing and detoxifying, promoting diuresis, reducing swelling, alleviating pain, and preventing miscarriage. Despite its historical use, comprehensive studies on pharmacophylogenetic analysis, including genetic and chemical profiles and the antimicrobial activity of S. strigillosa are still lacking. Understanding these aspects is crucial for fully realizing its therapeutic potential and ensuring sustainable use. This study aims to elucidate these aspects through comparative genomics, metabolomics, and antimicrobial assays with Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi and Scutellaria barbata D. Don.The chloroplast genome of S. strigillosa was assembled, measuring 152,533 bp, and revealing a high degree of conservation, especially in the protein-coding regions, and identified four regions trnK(UUU)-rps16, trnN(GUU)-trnR(ACG), accD-psaI, psbE-petL) of variability that could serve as phylogenetic markers. The phylogenetic analysis revealed a closer genetic relationship of S. strigillosa with S. tuberifera and S. scordifolia than traditionally classified, suggesting a need for taxonomic reevaluation within the genus. UPLC-QTOF-MSUPLC-Q-TOF-MS analysis in negative ion mode was used to explore the chemical diversity among these species, revealing distinct variations in their chemical compositions. S. strigillosa shared a closer chemical profile with S. barbata, aligning with phylogenetic findings. Metabolomic identification through Progenesis QI software resulted in the tentative identification of 112 metabolites, including a substantial number of flavonoids, diterpenoids, iridoid glycosides, phenylethanoid glycosides, and others. HPLC analysis further detailed the concentrations of 12 actives across the species, highlighting the variation in compound content. S. strigillosa shows antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, similar to S. baicalensis root extracts. This research enhances the understanding of the phylogenetic and phytochemical profiles and the antibacterial activity of S. strigillosa, offering new insights into its medicinal properties. The findings suggest a need for taxonomic reevaluation within the genus and underscore the potential antibacterial activity of S. strigillosa for therapeutic applications. Further studies are encouraged to explore its full medicinal potential and contribute to the sustainable development of Scutellaria species.

    Keywords: Scutellaria strigillosa, Chloroplast genome, metabolomic, quantitative analysis, Antibacterial activity

    Received: 29 Jul 2024; Accepted: 29 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Shen, Li, Chu, Li, Meng, Li, Dou, Wang, Liu, Xiao, He and Yi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Hairong Chu, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, China
    Yong Li, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, China
    Zhenpeng Li, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, China
    Jiayao Dou, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, China
    Chenyang Liu, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, China
    Chunnian He, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100193, Beijing Municipality, China
    Zhengjun Yi, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, China

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