Phytochemical Analysis and Dermo-Cosmetic Evaluation of Cymbidium sp. (Orchidaceae) Cultivation By-Products.

Evangelos Axiotis,Apostolis Angelis,Eleftherios A Petrakis,Lemonia Antoniadi,Leandros A Skaltsounis

doi:10.3390/antiox11010101

Evangelos Axiotis, Apostolis Angelis + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox11010101

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Abstract

Cymbidium is one of the most popular genera in Orchidaceae family, commercialized either as loose flowers or as potted plants in floriculture worldwide. The non-marketable parts are typically discarded (e.g., unsuitable flowers, leaves, pseudobulbs, roots), generating an enormous quantity of unutilized biomass. The above by-products were studied through phytochemical analysis and investigated for their dermo-cosmetic potential. The initial antioxidant, anti-tyrosinase, anti-elastase, and anti-collagenase assays of the total extracts indicated that the pseudobulb and root ethyl acetate extracts were the most potent. Those extracts were then submitted to chromatographic separation leading to the isolation of 16 secondary metabolites (four phenanthrenes, three 1,4-phenanthrenquinones, three dibenzyls, two phenolic acid derivatives, two sterols, one dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol derivative, and one simple phenolic compound), including 6-hydroxy-5,7-dimethoxy-1,4-phenanthrenequinone (cymbisamoquinone), which was identified as a new natural product. In parallel, 48 metabolites were identified by UPLC-HRMS analysis of the extracts. The biological evaluation of the isolated compounds revealed that gigantol and tristin present important anti-tyrosinase activity, while bulbophyllanthrin, 3-hydroxy-2,4,7-trimethoxy-phenanthrene, marylaurencinol A, 5-hydroxy-2-methoxy-1,4-phenanthrenequinone, and ephemeranthroquinone B show dose-dependent anti-collagenase activity. In contrast to isolated metabolites, which may act selectively on specific enzymes, the initial total extracts exhibited inhibitory activity against tyrosinase, elastase, and collagenase enzymes, thus showing better prospects for use in dermo-cosmetic formulations.

Highlights

Orchidaceae is the largest botanical family of flowering plants with a total number of species varying between 25,000 and 35,000 [1,2]
Dioscorides, in De Materia Medica, included two terrestrial orchids and described the medicinal use of the tubers according to their resemblance to parts of human anatomy [5]
The antioxidant activity of all initial extracts obtained from the flowers, leaves, pseudobulbs, and roots of Cymbidium sp. was determined on the basis of a DPPH free radical scavenging assay (Figure S1; Supplementary Materials)

Summary

Introduction

Orchidaceae is the largest botanical family of flowering plants with a total number of species varying between 25,000 and 35,000 [1,2]. According to “The Plant List” [3], this family currently contains 27,801 species divided into 925 genera, and due to its remarkable capacity for adaptation, it is present in all regions of the world in the wild. Orchids were first cultivated and described for medicinal use in China. A total of 365 herbs, including several orchids, are listed in the Chinese Materia Medica [4]. Dioscorides, in De Materia Medica, included two terrestrial orchids and described the medicinal use of the tubers according to their resemblance to parts of human anatomy (shape and color) [5].

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