Opioid alkaloids profiling and antioxidant capacity of Papaver species from Iran

Abstract

The distribution of Papaver alkaloids (noscapine, thebaine, codeine, papaverine and morphine) in roots, aerial parts and capsules of some Papaver species growing in Iran was studied by high-performance liquid chromatography equipped with photodiode array detector (HPLC-PDA) and antioxidant activity of the extracts was evaluated through DPPH method. The amounts of alkaloids were varying widely among Papaver species, populations and plant organs. Noscapine was found as the most abundant alkaloid in roots, aerial parts and capsules of different Papaver species. Morphine was not detected in some of the species and plant organs. The highest contents of morphine (0.48 mg g−1 DW), codeine (1.09 mg g−1 DW), thebaine (0.84 mg g−1 DW), papaverine (2.96 mg g−1 DW) and noscapine (10.58 mg g−1 DW) were found in capsules of P. dubium (G1), and roots of P. arenarium (G12, G13), P. tenuifolium (G14), and P. dubium (G3), respectively. The antioxidant capacity of extracts was varied widely ranging from 1.22 in P. dubium capsules to 42.33 mg g−1 DW in P. lacerum capsules. The hierarchical cluster (HCA) and principal component (PCA) analysis were conducted for determining the relationships and similarities within the Papaver species. The resulting HCA represented three major groups. PCA showed that the first two components explained 40% of the total variation. This result could supply valuable information for screening of accessions containing high levels of individual alkaloids and antioxidants for use in breeding programs and pharmaceutical industries.