Toward the identification of a phytocannabinoid-like compound in the flowers of a South African medicinal plant ( Leonot
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BMC Research Notes Open Access
RESEARCH NOTE
Toward the identification of a phytocannabinoid‑like compound in the flowers of a South African medicinal plant (Leonotis leonurus) E. Hunter1, M. Stander2, J. Kossmann1, S. Chakraborty3, S. Prince3, S. Peters1† and Bianke Loedolff1*†
Abstract Objective: Current global trends on natural therapeutics suggest an increasing market interest toward the use and discovery of new plant-derived therapeutic compounds, often referred to as traditional medicine (TM). The Cannabis industry is currently one such focal area receiving attention, owing to the occurrence of phytocannabinoids (pCBs) which have shown promise in health-promotion and disease prevention. However, the occurrence of pCBs in other plant species are often overlooked and rarely studied. Leonotis leonurus (L.) R. Br. is endemic to South Africa with a rich history of use in TM practices amongst indigenous people and, has been recorded to induce mild psychoactive effects akin to Cannabis. While the leaves have been well-reported to contain therapeutic phytochemicals, little information exists on the flowers. Consequently, as part of a larger research venture, we targeted the flowers of L. leonurus for the identification of potential pCB or pCB-like compounds. Results: Flower extracts were separated and analyzed using high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). A single pCB candidate was isolated from HPTLC plates and, using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS), we could successfully group this compound as a fatty amide and tentatively identified as 7,10,13,16-Docosatetraenoylethanolamine (adrenoyl-EA), a known bioactive compound. Keywords: Adrenoyl-EA, Traditional medicine, Phytochemistry, Flowers, Cannabis, Phytocannabinoids, Leonotis leonurus Introduction Increasing interest from developed economies in the use of TMs has created the second largest global therapeutics market [1, 2]. The medicinal Cannabis industry is currently one such focal area, largely because of the occurrence of phytocannabinoids (pCBs). As part of a unique class of phytochemicals that interact with the *Correspondence: [email protected] † S Peters and B Loedolff co-senior authors 1 Department of Genetics, Institute of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of AgriSciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
human endocannabinoid system (ECS), the use of pCBs as therapeutics holds promise in the treatment of numerous chronic diseases [3–8]. However, many countries still abide by strict regulatory laws pertaining to the commercial growth of Cannabis and, consequently research into pharmacologically relevant products has until recently, been relatively protracted. Since the discovery of pCBs, similar compounds (pCB-like) have been reported in several plant species, beyond Cannabis, that are commonly used in TM practices [9]. The growing interest in the use of TMs enabled an opportunity for the discovery and evaluation of new
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