ABSTRACT
Chrysobalanus icaco L. (Chrysobalanaceae) is a medicinal species widely used in Brazil mainly to treat diabetes. Despite the medicinal importance of C. icaco, genetic information of this genus remains limited. Thus, our aim was to evaluate the influence of the genetic basis of C. icaco by determining its chemotypes. 25 C. icaco genotypes were collected from 15 sites in Belém, Marajó and Northeastern mesoregions of Pará state, Brazil. The genotypes were selected by evaluating the plant morphological characteristics such as fruit color and plant habit. The DNA fingerprinting profile was performed using PCR based RAPD technique and appropriate statistical methods were used. RAPD markers were used for evaluation of genetic diversity and molecular characterization of the C. icaco, using a total of 18 decamer primers. These primers produced 85 amplification products, with an average of 4.7 bands per primer and 99.2% polymorphism. The genotypes are genetically distinct, forming variable clusters in number and constitution by different methods. By the morphological characteristics considered, there is a tendency of clustering based on the color of the ripe fruit. We found the secondary metabolite content depends not on environmental condition, but rather on C. icaco genome. Therefore, it may have implications for ethnopharmacological use of the chemotypes.
