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. 2022 Jan 5:2022:5365024.
doi: 10.1155/2022/5365024. eCollection 2022.

Comparative Study of Abiotic Stress Factors on GC-MS-Detected Phytoconstituents of Aloe greatheadii var: davyana Using Heat Map and Hierarchical Clustering Dendrogram

Affiliations

Comparative Study of Abiotic Stress Factors on GC-MS-Detected Phytoconstituents of Aloe greatheadii var: davyana Using Heat Map and Hierarchical Clustering Dendrogram

Denga Nthai et al. Biochem Res Int. .

Abstract

Aloe greatheadii var. davyana or spotted aloe is indigenous to South Africa and widely distributed in the northern provinces. The plant has a vast ethnopharmacological application which is mostly attributed to its phytochemical content. The aim of the study was to examine the effect of abiotic stress factors on the plant's phytochemical content. The phytochemical content of A. greatheadii hexane extracts from four different provinces (Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, and North West), harvested from the wild at varied altitudes, rainfall patterns, and soil types, was examined using gas chromatography-mass spectra (GC-MS). The phytochemical content of hexane extracts from the four South African provinces was analysed using heat map analysis and hierarchical clustering dendrogram. The phytochemical content of A. greatheadii hexane extracts was composed of fatty acids, alkanes, benzene, carboxylic acids, ketones, phytosterols, and vitamins. Eicosane, henicosane, and [(2S)-2-[(2R)-4-hexadecanoyloxy-3-hydroxy-5-oxo-2H-furan-2-yl]-2-hydroxyethyl] hexadecanoate were the only compounds detected in all samples from the four provinces. The concentration levels of 2-(((2-ethylhexyl)oxy)carbonyl) benzoic acid, beta-sitosterol, tritetracontane, and ethyl 13-methyltetradecanoate were closely related and expressed a low clustering distance amongst the samples. Variations in soil pH, soil type, and rainfall patterns were detected and differed in the four provinces. The different abiotic stress factors affected the biochemical pathways for the different compounds, with conditions in Gauteng being less favourable for many of the compounds detected. Abiotic stress factors have shown to influence phytochemical biochemical pathways and quantity. Aloe greatheadii plants can be selected based on location seemingly due to the variations that persist in their phytochemical content.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
South African biome, characterized by the Albany thicket, desert, forests, fynbos, grassland, Indian Ocean coastal belt, Nama-Karoo, Savanna, and Succulent Karoo, adapted from [10, 11].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Heat map analysis of the relative abundance (% peak area) of phytoconstituents of Aloe greatheadii from four South African provinces. Chemical compounds: 1- pentadecane, 2- hexadecane, 3- 2-(((2-ethylhexyl)oxy)carbonyl)benzoic acid, 4- heptadecane, 5- ethyl 13-methyltetradecanoate, 6- octadecane, 7- eicosane, 8- heneicosane, 9- beta-sitosterol, 10- L-(+)-ascorbic acid 2,6-dihexadecanoate, and 11- tritetracontane. Abbreviations: LP- Limpopo Province, MP- Mpumalanga Province, GP- Gauteng Province, and NW- North-West Province.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Hierarchical clustering dendrogram with clustering distance of phytochemical compounds of Aloe greatheadii from four South African provinces. The Y-axis represents the compounds detected, and the X-axis represents the clustering distance.

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