<i>Lychnophora salicifolia</i>, commonly known as “arnicão ”, is used as a flavoring agent in the Brazilian traditional spirit “cachaça ”. <i>Lychnophora salicifolia,</i> which occurs in the Brazilian Cerrado, is the most widely distributed and also the most polymorphic species of the genus. In addition, this plant is popularly known to have anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities. A LC-MS/MS protocol was developed, looking to understand possible variations in terms of polar metabolites. Twenty substances were identified, including chlorogenic acid derivatives, flavonoid C-glucosides, and other sesquiterpenes in more than hundred species from three Brazilian States. An analytical method was validated and the reliability and credibility of the results were ensured for the purposes of this study. The concentration range required to analyze the content variability within the group of specimens was covered with appropriate values of limits of detection and quantitation, as well as satisfactory precision and recovery. This methodology was also adopted to investigate the permeation process of vicenin-2 (1) and lychnopholic acid (2) (major secondary metabolites from the cachaça) using Caco-2 cells. It was observed that 2 crosses the Caco-2 cell monolayer by passive diffusion. On the other hand, 1 was not transported, suggesting no absorption and no efflux of this compound in Caco-2 cells. Combination of LC-MS/MS and MALDI-MS were also successfully applied to improve the taxonomy of the Lychnophora genus and to contribute on the physiology compression of C-flavonoids in plant leaves.

Mass spectrometry techniques for metabolomics and tissues imaging of natural products from Lychnophora species, a flavoring agent in the Brazilian traditional spirit

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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