Differences in the fruit structure and the location and content of bioactive substances in Viburnum opulus and Viburnum lantana fruits

Agata Konarska,Marcin Domaciuk

doi:10.1007/s00709-017-1130-z

Agata Konarska, Marcin Domaciuk

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709-017-1130-z

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Abstract

Many Viburnum species are popular ornamental shrubs and, simultaneously, highly valued medicinal plants as a source of many bioactive compounds, including antioxidants. Viburnum bark, flowers, and fruits are widely used in traditional and folk medicine, and the fruits of some species are used as cooking ingredients. The knowledge of the microstructure of Viburnum fruits and the accumulation sites of bioactive substances in these organs is rather poor. Comparative analyses of the microstructure of ripe Viburnum opulus and Viburnum lantana drupes were carried out using light, scanning, and transmission electron microscopes. The location of various groups of metabolites in the fruits of both species was determined with the use of histochemical tests and fluorescence microscopy. Additionally, the major antioxidants, i.e. carotenoids, polyphenols, and flavonoids, were quantified and a number of morphometric traits of the drupes were presented. The V. opulus and V. lantana fruits were found to differ in some morphological traits and in many characteristics of the pericarp anatomy and ultrastructure. It was shown that the Viburnum fruits contained lipids and lipid compounds (carotenoids, essential oils, steroids, and saponins), polyphenols (tannins, flavonoids, and anthocyanins), pectins, and proteins. The fruits of V. opulus contained greater quantities of carotenoids, polyphenols, flavonoids, steroids, and pectins than the V. lantana drupes, whereas the latter were characterised by higher contents of essential oils, saponins, and proteins. The metabolites were located in different pericarp layers, but the greatest amounts were identified in the drupe skin.

Highlights

Viburnum opulus L. and Viburnum lantana L., i.e. representatives of the family Adoxaceae, are common in natural habitats on the European continent and in some regions of Asia and North Africa
Transverse sections were incised with razors from fragments of fresh fruits with the skin sampled from the equatorial part. They were analysed in water under a light microscope Nikon Eclipse E200 (Nikon, Japan) and after application of the histochemical tests under a fluorescence microscope (FLM) Nikon 90i equipped with digital camera (Nikon Fi1) and the NIS-Elements Br 2 software
Compared with the V. lantana fruits, the number of V. opulus fruits in the inflorescences was by 15% lower, while the weight and size of the fruits in this species were twofold higher (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

Viburnum opulus L. and Viburnum lantana L., i.e. representatives of the family Adoxaceae, are common in natural habitats on the European continent and in some regions of Asia and North Africa. The fruit in the family Adoxaceae is a fleshy drupe containing from three to five stones (Sambucus), but sometimes the drupe mesocarp is dry (Adoxa) (Donoghue et al 2003). The Viburnum fruit is a fleshy berry-like drupe, which has a single-seeded drupelet and Konarska and Domaciuk endospermic seeds (Jacobs et al 2008). The drupes, ripening in August (V. lantana) or September (V. opulus), are considered persistent fruits, as they are not shed in autumn but remain on shrubs throughout winter, often until May or longer

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