Abstract
Bidens pilosa (Asteraceae) is an edible medicinal plant with many bioactivities reported to have a health-beneficial role in controling various diseases. Though B. pilosa contain a diverse array of natural products, these are produced in relatively low concentrations. A possible way to enhance secondary metabolite production can be through the use of elicitors. Here, the effects of exogenous treatments with two signal molecules—methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and methyl salicylate (MeSA)—on the metabolomic profiles of B. pilosa leaves were investigated. Plants were treated with 0.5 mM of MeJA or MeSA and harvested at 12 h and 24 h. Metabolites were extracted with methanol and separated on an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography system hyphenated to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry detection. Data was subjected to multivariate statistical analysis and modeling for annotation of metabolites. Hydroxycinnamic acid (HCA) derivatives, such as caffeoylquinic acids (CQAs), tartaric acid esters (chicoric acid and caftaric acid), chalcones, and flavonoids were identified as differentially regulated. The altered metabolomes in response to MeSA and MeJA overlapped to a certain extent, suggestive of a cross-talk between signaling and metabolic pathway activation. Moreover, the perturbation of isomeric molecules, especially the cis geometrical isomers of HCA derivatives by both treatments, further point to the biological significance of these molecules during physiological responses to stress. The results highlight the possibility of using phytohormones to enhance the accumulation of bioactive secondary metabolites in this plant.
Highlights
Bidens pilosa L. (B. pilosa) is a cosmopolitan weed occurring mostly in hot tropical areas including sub-Saharan Africa, where it is a widely consumed leafy green vegetable source [1,2].This plant is recognized for its nutritional value, and for its pharmacological and bio-medical importance [3,4]
methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and methyl salicylate (MeSA) are signaling molecules that are produced in plants for the development and modulation of resistance to insects and pathogens [31]
MeJA and MeSA are important endogenous signal molecules, which induce and modulate stress responses in plants. Exogenous application of these signal molecules has been shown to alter the metabolome of plants by increasing production of secondary metabolites, often in a defense-related context
Summary
(B. pilosa) is a cosmopolitan weed occurring mostly in hot tropical areas including sub-Saharan Africa, where it is a widely consumed leafy green vegetable source [1,2]. This plant is recognized for its nutritional value, and for its pharmacological and bio-medical importance [3,4]. The health benefits of CGAs and flavonoids have been recently reviewed [9,10]. These secondary metabolites are the biosynthetic products of metabolic pathways that are responsive to environmental stressors or signal molecules associated with adaptation to changing
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