The berry-like fruits from Hypericum androsaemum L. as a rich source of bioactive compounds

Hypericum androsaemum, also known as Tutsan, is a small evergreen shrub common in the Mediterranean basin, where it is traditionnaly used as a diuretic and hepatoprotective herbal drug[1].This plant has the peculiarity to produce fleshy and berry–like fruits that ripen from red to shiny black. The essential oil and aroma components of red and black berries were investigated by GC-FID, GC-MS and HS-SPME-GC-MS. The nutritional profile of the red and black berries in terms of proteins, carbohydrates, crude fiber, ascorbic acid, mineral content and fatty acid composition was also investigated. Finally, the morfological and histochemical study of fruits identified the histolocalization of the complex metabolite mixture produced. Results showed that monoterpene hydrocarbons gave the major contribution to the fruit aroma, with limonene as the most representative compound, even though some differences were found between red and black berries. Nutritional analysis highlighted a relevant content of ascorbic acid (135.7 mg/100 g) in red berries and a noteworthy percentage of potassium (1-1.2%). Regarding fatty acid composition, linoleic acid was the most aboundant (41.6-46.9%) followed by linolenic acid (21.4-23.0%); conserning the distribution among SFAs, MUFAs and PUFAs, ripe fruits were thus the mainly constitued by PUFAs (64.61-68.26%), followed by SFAs (18.20-20.43%) and finally by MUFAs (13.53-14.96%).The morphological and histochemical analysis showed that the fruit secretion is produced in numerous translucent glands that originated from the ovarian mesophyll and arranged in concentric rings. The chemical constituents of methanolic and water extracts of red fruits were analyzed by HPLC. In addition, the red pigment of the fruit was isolated by column chromatography and structurally elucidated by NMR. Results showed that H. androsaemum fruits contains high amount of shikimic and chlorogenic acids, while their color was given by a tetraoxygenated-type xanthone, reported for the first time in Hypericum species. This work represent the first chemical investigation of fruits of H. androsaemum, and the aboundance of monoterpene hydrocarbons confirmed the typical conifer taste perceived and support thier use in the food industry. References [1]Allen, D.A., and Hatfield, G. (2004). Medicinal Plants in Folk Traditions. An Ethnobotany of Britain and Ireland . Portland,Oregon ,USA :Timber Press , Inc.