Untargeted metabolite profiling of wild and in vitro propagated Sabah jewel orchid Macodes limii J.J. Wood & A.L. Lamb (early view)

Abstract

Macodes limii J.J. Wood & A.L. Lamb is a terrestrial jewel orchid native to Sabah, recognized for its sparkling golden-yellow venations, uniformly distributed on its leaves. Despite its high ornamental value, the exploration of the plant’s medicinal potential remains ambiguous. The current study was conducted to gain a fundamental understanding of the metabolite composition and regulation in M. limii plants from two different growing environments: wild and in vitro cultivation, as well as to analyze their phytochemical contents and antioxidant activity. The metabolite profiling of the M. limii plant extracts through GC-MS and LC-MS/MS analysis has tentatively identified compounds from various classes including sugars, carbohydrates, sugar alcohols, amino acids, organic acids, phenolic derivatives and lipid and lipid-like compounds. Subsequently, the multivariate statistical analysis confirmed the existence of significant metabolite variations across distinct growth environments. Notably, the leaf extract derived from wild-grown plants displayed the highest levels of total phenolic and flavonoid content, contributing significantly to its higher antioxidant activity as measured by the DPPH assay. The discovery has offered a fundamental understanding of the metabolites in M. limii jewel orchids, indicating that in vitro regenerated plants may represent a viable alternative for further investigating their therapeutic potential, thus helping to alleviate the impact on wild populations.