Abstract
Scrophularia lanceolata Pursh and Scrophularia marilandica L. are two common species within the Scrophulariaceae family that are endemic to North America. Historically, these species were used by indigenous peoples and colonialists to treat sunburn, sunstroke, frostbite, edema, as well as for blood purification, and in women’s health. Several iridoid and phenylethanoid/phenylpropanoid glycosides detected in these species, such as harpagoside and verbascoside, possess anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive properties. Due to the presence of anti-inflammatory metabolites and the historical uses of these species, we performed a two-year field study to determine the optimal production of these important compounds. We subjected the plants to shade treatment and analyzed differences in the metabolite composition between the two species and each of their leaves, stems, and roots at various times throughout the growing seasons. We determined that S. lanceolata plants grown in full sun produced 0.63% harpagoside per dried weight in their leaves compared to shade-grown plants (0.43%). Furthermore, S. lanceolata accumulated more harpagoside than S. marilandica (0.24%). We also found that verbascoside accumulated in the leaves of S. lanceolata and S. marilandica as the growing season progressed, while the production of this metabolite remained mostly seasonally unchanged in the roots of both species.
Highlights
Scrophularia L. (Scrophulariaceae family) comprises about 200 species found primarily in the Northern Hemisphere, with some as far south as the Tropic of Cancer [1]
Periodic short-term summer droughts were mitigated by irrigation as needed so that drought stress should not have been a factor in the study
Lanceolata in August 2014 but, in general, this metabolite accumulated in the leaves and stems of this species (Figure 4). As with both Li, et al [23] and Xie, et al [27], our results indicate that the production of harpagide and harpagoside in S. marilandica may be sensitive to temperature or developmental changes
Summary
Scrophularia L. (Scrophulariaceae family) comprises about 200 species found primarily in the Northern Hemisphere, with some as far south as the Tropic of Cancer [1]. (Scrophulariaceae family) comprises about 200 species found primarily in the Northern Hemisphere, with some as far south as the Tropic of Cancer [1]. Many species in this genus are used in traditional, complementary, and alternative medicines to treat pain and inflammation [2,3,4]. Of the perennial North American Scrophularia species, S. lanceolata Pursh, one of the most common, is native to the northern two thirds of the United States into southern Canada, whereas S. marilandica L. is native to eastern North. (personal communication with weed identification specialist, Richard Old) These species have a history of medicinal use by indigenous peoples and colonialists [5,6,7]. They are cultivated [8]
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