Chemotaxonomic Importance of Sesquiterpenes and Flavonoids in Five Argentinian Species of Polygonum Genus

DERITA, M.; ZACCHINO, S.

JOURNAL OF ESSENTIAL OIL RESEARCH

ALLURED PUBL CORP

Año: 2011 vol. 23 p. 11 - 14

1041-2905

Leaves of five species of Polygonum genus belonging to Persicaria section were collected from the northeast and central lowlands of Argentina and their dichloromethane extracts were analyzed by GC/EM. They were investigated for the presence of four drimane-type sesquiterpenes: polygodial (1), isopolygodial (2), drimenol (3) and confertifolin (4), previously isolated from P. acuminatum; and the presence of three flavonoids: pinostrobin (5), flavokawin B (6) and cardamonin (7), previously isolated from P. persicaria. Results showed that among the five species of Persicaria section studied, two species contained sesquiterpenes 1-4 but not flavonoids 5-7, other two species contained flavonoids 5-7 but not sesquiterpenes 1-4, and only one species contained compounds 1-7. These results add evidences to a previous proposal to sub-classify the Persicaria section of Polygonum genus from a chemotaxonomic point of view. [Editor?s note: This paper?s references are notated within the main body of the text in superscript, so as to avoid reader confusion with the discussed sesquiterpenes and flavonoids.]