ABSTRACT
Ilex species have been consumed traditionally as medicinal teas worldwide. Though the presence of caffeine has been reported in several species, little is known about secondary-metabolite diversity within and among these taxa. Leaf samples of Ilex guayusa, Ilex paraguariensis, and Ilex vomitoria were analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and comparative metabolite profiling with Ilex cassine and other Ilex species to identify chemotaxonomic markers, delimit species, and provide an assessment of chemodiversity. Purine alkaloids were detected and quantified in I. guayusa, I. paraguariensis, and I. vomitoria. Reports of caffeine for I. cassine were not corroborated, suggesting that I. vomitoria was the traditional source of the Native North American tea yaupon. The tetramethyluric acid, theacrine, was detected for the first time in the genus Ilex as a low-level chemotaxonomic marker in I. vomitoria samples. Chemotaxonomy and metabolomics support a close relationship for caffeine-containing Ilex species.
Subject(s)
Aquifoliaceae/chemistry , Caffeine/analysis , Ilex/chemistry , Plant Extracts/analysis , Alkaloids/analysis , Alkaloids/metabolism , Aquifoliaceae/classification , Aquifoliaceae/metabolism , Caffeine/metabolism , Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid , Ilex/classification , Ilex/metabolism , Metabolomics , Plant Extracts/metabolism , Plant Leaves/chemistry , Plant Leaves/classification , Secondary Metabolism , Tandem Mass SpectrometryABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To study the contents of cadmium in Cortex Ilicis Rotundae and provide evidence for establishing the detection limit of cadmium in its quality standard. METHODS: ICP-MS was used to determine the contents of cadmium in 18 batches of Ilex L. RESULTS: The contents of cadmium in 10 batches of Cortex Ilex Rotunda ranged from 3.4 to 10.4 mg/kg,and the contents of cadmium in Ilex asprella and Ilex pubescents were more than 0.3 mg/kg. CONCLUSION: The contents of cadmium of Cortex Ilicis Rotundae, Ilex asprella and Ilex pubescents have particular characterise, and this study provides a basic for the analysis of cadmium in Cortex Ilicis Rotundace and other plants of this genus.
