Chemometric-enhanced metabolic profiling of five Pinus species using HPLC-MS/MS spectrometry: Correlation to in vitro anti-aging, anti-Alzheimer and antidiabetic activities

J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci. 2021 Jul 1:1177:122759. doi: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2021.122759. Epub 2021 May 18.

Abstract

Detailed metabolic profiling of needles of five Pinus species was investigated using complementary HPLC-MS/MS techniques together with supervised and unsupervised chemometric tools. This resulted in putative identification of 44 compounds belonging to flavonoids, phenolics, lignans, diterpenes and fatty acids. Unsupervised principal component analysis showed that differences were maintained across the metabolites characteristic of each Pinus species, are mainly related to di-O-p-coumaroyltrifolin, p-coumaroyl quinic acid derivative, arachidonic acid, hydroxypalmitic acid, isopimaric acid and its derivative. A supervised Partial Least Squares regression analysis was performed to correlate HPLC-MS/MS profiles with the variation observed in the in vitro anticholinesterase, antiaging and anti-diabetic potential. All investigated Pinus extracts exerted their antiaging activity via increasing telomerase and TERT levels in normal human melanocytes cells compared to the control (untreated cells). Profound inhibition activities of acetylcholinesterase and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 were also observed with P. pinea and P. canariensis extracts having comparable antidiabetic activities to sitagliptin as a standard antidiabetic drug. Our findings suggested that pine needles are a good source of phenolics and diterpenoids that have possible health promoting activities in management and alleviation of diabetic conditions and Alzheimer disease.

Keywords: Anticholinesterase; Diterpenes; Metabolomics; Phenolics; Pinus.

MeSH terms

  • Cholinesterase Inhibitors / analysis
  • Cholinesterase Inhibitors / chemistry
  • Cholinesterase Inhibitors / metabolism
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / methods*
  • Diterpenes / analysis
  • Diterpenes / chemistry
  • Diterpenes / metabolism
  • Flavonoids / analysis
  • Flavonoids / chemistry
  • Flavonoids / metabolism
  • Hypoglycemic Agents / analysis
  • Hypoglycemic Agents / chemistry
  • Hypoglycemic Agents / metabolism
  • Metabolome / physiology*
  • Metabolomics
  • Pinus* / chemistry
  • Pinus* / metabolism
  • Plant Extracts / chemistry
  • Protective Agents / analysis
  • Protective Agents / chemistry
  • Protective Agents / metabolism
  • Solid Phase Extraction / methods
  • Tandem Mass Spectrometry / methods*

Substances

  • Cholinesterase Inhibitors
  • Diterpenes
  • Flavonoids
  • Hypoglycemic Agents
  • Plant Extracts
  • Protective Agents