Abstract
Jatropha species have been shown to be an important source of secondary metabolites with different biological effects. Jatropha cinerea (Ortega) Müll. Arg and Jatropha cordata (Ortega) Müll. Arg are distributed in the Northwestern region of Mexico, are adapted to extreme weather conditions and are widely used (stems, leaves, and sap) in traditional medicine. The aim of the present study was to carry out the phytochemical characterization and the evaluation of the antioxidant activity in methanolic extracts of stems and leaves from J. cinerea and J. cordata. The compounds present in the extracts of both species were characterized by ESI-IT-MS/MS and quantified by HPLC-DAD. The results showed that the stem extracts of both species are rich in phenolic acids, while the leaf extracts are rich in flavonoids. Some of the main compounds found were gallic acid, gentisic acid, 3,4-Dihydroxybenzoic acid, vitexin, isovitexin, and catechol. Both species showed high concentrations of phenols and total flavonoids and antioxidant activity. J. cordata showed the highest antioxidant capacity and the highest concentration of phenolic compounds. Overall, both Jatropha species are a natural source of antioxidant compounds with potential biotechnological uses.
Highlights
The Euphorbiaceae family is considered one of the most diverse, with around7800 species [1]
Arg (Brazil) are used as traditional medicine. When these Jatropha species were studied, the results showed that the roots, stems, and leaves of this plant are a source of phenolic compounds and triterpenes
Data showed that the contents of each phenolic compound from the leaves and stems of J. cinerea and J. cordata were significantly different between species and plant organs
Summary
The Euphorbiaceae family is considered one of the most diverse, with around. Among the genera that belong to this family is Jatropha L. This genus is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions from Africa, America, and Asia. Mexico is the diversity center and endemism of the Jatropha genus. A total of 50 of the 186 known Jatropha species are found in Mexico (even in areas with extreme temperature and humidity conditions) and 39 of them are endemic [2,3]. Jatropha species have been used for different purposes; one of them is to produce biodiesel, being the seed oil of Jatropha curcas L., the main product at an industrial level [4]
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