Perovskanol, a new sesquiterpenoid with an unprecedented skeleton from Perovskia Abrotanoides

Metabolomics and DNA-Based Authentication of Two Traditional Asian Medicinal and Aromatic Species of Salvia subg. Perovskia

Subgenus Perovskia of the extended genus of Salvia comprises several Central Asian medicinal and aromatic species, of which S. yangii and S. abrotanoides are the most widespread. These plants are cultivated in Europe as robust ornamentals, and several cultivars are available. However, their medicinal potential remains underutilized because of limited information about their phytochemical and genetic diversity. Thus, we combined an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS) based metabolomics with DNA barcoding approach based on trnH-psbA and ITS2 barcodes to clarify the relationships between these two taxa. Metabolomic analysis demonstrated that aerial parts are more similar than roots and none of the major compounds stand out as distinct. Sugiol in S. yangii leaves and carnosic acid quinone in S. abrotanoides were mostly responsible for their chemical differentiation, whereas in roots the distinction was supported by the presence of five norditerpenoids in S. yangii and two flavonoids and one norditerpenoid in S. abrotanoides. To verify the metabolomics-based differentiation, we performed DNA authentication that revealed S. yangii and S. abrotanoides to be very closely related but separate species. We demonstrated that DNA barcoding coupled with parallel LC-MS profiling constitutes a powerful tool in identification of taxonomically close Salvia species.

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Insecticidal activity of the essential oil of Perovskia artemisioides Boiss

This work reports the phytochemical profile and insecticidal properties of Perovskia artemisioides Boiss essential oil (PAEO) collected in Baluchestan, Iran. Totally, twenty-six substances were identified with 1,8-cineole (25.81%), geranyl acetate (13.00%) and linalool (10.21%) as dominant chemical metabolites by GC-MS analysis. PAEO possessed fumigant toxicity against various growth stages of Phthorimaea operculella. P. operculella adults showed considerable sensitivity (LC₅₀ = 0.58 µL/L air) in comparison to eggs (LC₅₀ = 5.87 µL/L air) and neonate larvae (LC₅₀ = 1.23 µL/L air). Finally, molecular docking of major components of PAEO was performed against detoxification enzymes, including cytochrome P450 and glutathione S-transferase activities. Humulene, β-caryophyllene, and α-cadinol exhibited the most interactions with the P450 and GST. It can be concluded that PAEO has the potential for development into natural insecticides for the control of storage pests.