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. 2024 May 11;29(10):2259.
doi: 10.3390/molecules29102259.

LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS Identification and Characterization of Phenolic Compounds from Leaves of Australian Myrtles and Their Antioxidant Activities

Akhtar Ali  1 , Abdul Mueed  2 , Jeremy J Cottrell  1 , Frank R Dunshea  1   3
Affiliations

LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS Identification and Characterization of Phenolic Compounds from Leaves of Australian Myrtles and Their Antioxidant Activities

Akhtar Ali et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Phenolic compounds, present in plants, provide substantial health advantages, such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which enhance cardiovascular and cognitive well-being. Australia is enriched with a wide range of plants with phytopharmacological potential, which needs to be fully elucidated. In this context, we analyzed leaves of aniseed myrtle (Syzygium anisatum), lemon myrtle (Backhousia citriodora), and cinnamon myrtle (Backhousia myrtifolia) for their complex phytochemical profile and antioxidant potential. LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS was applied for screening and characterizing these Australian myrtles' phenolic compounds and the structure-function relation of phenolic compounds. This study identified 145 and quantified/semi-quantified 27 phenolic compounds in these Australian myrtles. Furthermore, phenolic contents (total phenolic content (TPC), total condensed tannins (TCT), and total flavonoids (TFC)) and antioxidant potential of phenolic extracts from the leaves of Australian myrtles were quantified. Aniseed myrtle was quantified with the highest TPC (52.49 ± 3.55 mg GAE/g) and total antioxidant potential than other selected myrtles. Catechin, epicatechin, isovitexin, cinnamic acid, and quercetin were quantified as Australian myrtles' most abundant phenolic compounds. Moreover, chemometric analysis further validated the results. This study provides a new insight into the novel potent bioactive phenolic compounds from Australian myrtles that could be potentially useful for functional, nutraceutical, and therapeutic applications.

Keywords: aniseed myrtle; cinnamon myrtle; flavonoids; human health; lemon myrtle; oxidative stress; tannins.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A biplot analysis of phenolic contents and their antioxidant activities.
Figure 2
Figure 2
MS/MS spectra of gallic acid 4-O-glucoside (m/z 331), ellagic acid 4-O-glucoside (m/z 463), and p-coumaric acid 4-O-glucoside (m/z 325).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Distribution of total phenolic compounds (A), total phenolic acids (B), total flavonoids (C), and total other compounds (D) in aniseed myrtles (AM), cinnamon myrtles (CM), and lemon myrtles (LM).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Heatmap clustering (A), debiased sparse partial correlation network (B), biplot (C), and partial least squares-discriminant analysis VIP score (D) of abundance phenolic compounds quantified in Australian myrtles.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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This research received no external funding.

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