<sup>1</sup>H-qNMR as a Tool for the Quantitative and Qualitative Evaluation of Abietane-Type Diterpenes in Lamiaceae Species Cultivated in Greece

This study aimed to quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate the content of carnosic acid (CA), 12-<i>O</i>-methyl-carnosic acid (12MCA), carnosol (CS), rosmanol (RO) and 7-<i>O</i>-methyl-<i>epi</i>-rosmanol (7MER) in 61 Lamiaceae plants growing in Greece, using...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Panagiotis Kallimanis, Prokopios Magiatis, Thalia Tsiaka, Panagiotis Zoumpoulakis, Angeliki Panagiotopoulou, Ioanna Chinou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/15/8361
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This study aimed to quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate the content of carnosic acid (CA), 12-<i>O</i>-methyl-carnosic acid (12MCA), carnosol (CS), rosmanol (RO) and 7-<i>O</i>-methyl-<i>epi</i>-rosmanol (7MER) in 61 Lamiaceae plants growing in Greece, using <sup>1</sup>H-qNMR spectroscopy as a simple, rapid and direct method without sample deterioration. For this purpose, methanol extracts from 18 genera (e.g., <i>Salvia</i>, <i>Mentha</i>, <i>Melissa</i>, <i>Ocimum</i>) were analyzed using isolated and fully characterized metabolites, previously identified by our group, as standards. At least one of the target compounds was detected in 22 species, predominantly belonging to the genus <i>Salvia</i>. Notably, 7MER and RO were not detected in any extract. CA, CS and 12MCA were exclusively found in <i>Salvia</i> species, with <i>S. somalensis</i>, <i>S. officinalis</i> and <i>S. fruticosa</i> emerging as the richest sources of these diterpenes. Among them, <i>S. somalensis</i> showed the highest concentration of CA (>30 mg/g), while 12MCA was most abundant in <i>S. microphylla</i>. These results highlight <i>Salvia</i> as the most promising genus for the accumulation of bioactive abietane-type diterpenes. The implementation of <sup>1</sup>H-qNMR for such chemical profiling provides a reliable approach toward the phytochemical standardization of plant extracts, supporting their further use in nutraceutical or pharmaceutical formulations.
ISSN:2076-3417