Botanic Garden as a Factory of Molecules: Myrtus communis L. subsp. communis as a Case Study.

Fabrizia Milani,Patrizia Berera,Claudia Giuliani,Filippo Maggi,Sefora Todero,Martina Bottoni,Gelsomina Fico,Laura Santagostini

doi:10.3390/plants11060754

Fabrizia Milani, Patrizia Berera + Show 6 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11060754

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Abstract

A novel perception of botanic gardens as complex “factories of molecules” (Lombardy Region Project–Lr. 25/2016, year 2021), that mediate plant–environment interactions, and are the basis of their utility for humans, is presented. The core-topic is the medicinal plant heritage of the Ghirardi Botanic Garden (Toscolano Maderno, Brescia, Italy) of the University of Milan. In this work, we studied Myrtus communis L. subsp. communis (Myrtaceae) at multiple scale levels: macro- and micromorphological, with special emphasis on the secretory structures responsible for the production of secondary metabolites; phytochemical, with the analysis of the essential oil (EO) composition from leaves (fresh, dried, stored at −20 °C and at −80 °C) and fruits over two consecutive years (2018 and 2019); bio-ecological, with a focus, based on literature data, on the ecology and biological activity of the main EO components. The occurrence of secretory cavities producing terpenes, along with flavonoids, was proven. A high level of chemical variability across the obtained EO profiles emerged, especially that concerning quantitative data. However, regardless of the different conservation procedures, the examined plant part, or the phenological stage, we detected the presence of three ubiquitous compounds: α-pinene, 1,8-cineole, and linalool. The overall results will serve to enrich the Ghirardi Botanic Garden with novel labeling showing accurate and updated scientific information in an Open science perspective.

Highlights

Botanic gardens currently achieve numerous missions related to biodiversity conservation, scientific research, and educational and dissemination activities [1]
We addressed our attention on myrtle (Myrtus communis L. subsp. communis, Myrtaceae), preserved at the Ghirardi Botanic Garden since its foundation in 1964, becoming the viaticum to describe the “philosophy” of the project
In this work we investigated Myrtus communis subsp. communis preserved at the Ghirardi Botanic Garden in the context of a transversal and multidisciplinary project, where the focus of the scientific research plans is driven by the public perspective

Summary

Introduction

Botanic gardens currently achieve numerous missions related to biodiversity conservation, scientific research, and educational and dissemination activities [1] Thanks to their competences in research and public engagement, university-based botanical gardens have a great under-exploited potential in fostering activities such as knowledge transfer and community service, contributing to society’s social and cultural development and in creating interactions between academia and the territory [2]. The core-topic of our study is the plant heritage preserved at the Ghirardi Botanic Garden (Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Toscolano Maderno, Brescia, Italy), where only medicinal species from all over the world are preserved, and where a dedicated project is underway (“Ghirardi Botanic Garden, factory of molecules”—Lombardy Region Project, L.r. 25/2016, year 2021) In this project, the botanic garden, with special reference to selected target-taxa, was studied at four-scale research levels (Figure 1): (a) macroscopic, through the description of diagnostic macromorphological features; (b) microscopic, through the study of the secreting structures responsible for the production and emission of secondary metabolites; (c) phytochemical, through the characterization of their profile; (d) bio-ecological, regarding the evaluation of their biological activity and ecological significance.

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