Phytochemical characterization and comparative studies of four Cecropia species collected in Panama using multivariate data analysis

AbstractPlant species of the genusCecropia(Urticaceae) are used as traditional medicine in Latin-America, and are commercially available as food supplements. The aim of this study was to characterize and compare the phytochemical constituents of fourCecropiaspecies collected in Panama. The structures of 11 compounds isolated from leaves ofC. obtusifoliawere elucidated based on high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic analysis; the polyphenolic constituents of leaves of all fourCecropiaspecies and commercial products were characterized using high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-quadrupole time of flight-tandem high resolution mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-QTOF). Forty-seven compounds were fully identified or tentatively characterized. Thirty-nine of these have not been previously reported for the species under investigation. Multivariate analysis revelead thatC. obtusifoliaandC. insignisare the most related species, whileC. hispidissimais the most segregated one. Considering the importance of the description of novel chemical entities and the increasing interest and use of natural products, this study may be of great help for chemotaxonomic purposes, the interpretation of medicinal properties and for quality assessment of herbal supplements containingCecropialeaves.

VIVO