Untargeted Metabolomics Reveals Distinct Anthocyanin Profiles in Napier Grass (<i>Pennisetum purpureum</i> Schumach.) Cultivars
Plant secondary metabolites regulate plant growth and serve as valuable pharmaceutical resources. Napier grass (<i>Pennisetum purpureum</i> Schumach.), a Poaceae species, shows potential as a functional food. In this study, we employed high-resolution mass spectrometry combined with a da...
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2025-07-01
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| author | Zhi-Yue Wang Pei-Yin Lin Chwan-Yang Hong Kevin Chi-Chung Chou Ting-Jang Lu |
| author_facet | Zhi-Yue Wang Pei-Yin Lin Chwan-Yang Hong Kevin Chi-Chung Chou Ting-Jang Lu |
| author_sort | Zhi-Yue Wang |
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| description | Plant secondary metabolites regulate plant growth and serve as valuable pharmaceutical resources. Napier grass (<i>Pennisetum purpureum</i> Schumach.), a Poaceae species, shows potential as a functional food. In this study, we employed high-resolution mass spectrometry combined with a data-independent acquisition (DIA) strategy for the untargeted detection of anthocyanins, a group of secondary metabolites, in napier grass. Clear MS<sup>2</sup> fragmentation patterns were observed for anthocyanins, characterized by diagnostic aglycone signals and sequential losses of hexosyl (C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>10</sub>O<sub>5</sub>), deoxyhexosyl (C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>10</sub>O<sub>4</sub>), pentosyl (C<sub>5</sub>H<sub>8</sub>O<sub>4</sub>), and <i>p</i>-coumaroyl groups (C<sub>9</sub>H<sub>8</sub>O<sub>3</sub>). Based on matching with authentic standards and an in-house database, ten anthocyanins were identified, seven of which were newly reported in napier grass. In a single-laboratory validation analysis, both absolute and semi-quantitative results reliably reflected the specific distribution of metabolites across different cultivars and plant organs. The purple cultivar (TS5) exhibited the highest anthocyanin content, with the cyanidin 3-<i>O</i>-glucoside content reaching 5.0 ± 0.5 mg/g, whereas the green cultivar (TS2), despite its less pigmented appearance, contained substantial amounts of malvidin 3-<i>O</i>-arabinoside (0.7 ± <0.1 mg/g). Flavonoid profiling revealed that monoglycosylated anthocyanins were the dominant forms in floral tissues. These findings shed light on napier grass metabolism and support future Poaceae breeding and functional food development. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
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| series | Foods |
| spelling | doaj-art-db0f58ac1d1c40f0b78f7365c90e5e1b2025-08-20T04:00:53ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582025-07-011415258210.3390/foods14152582Untargeted Metabolomics Reveals Distinct Anthocyanin Profiles in Napier Grass (<i>Pennisetum purpureum</i> Schumach.) CultivarsZhi-Yue Wang0Pei-Yin Lin1Chwan-Yang Hong2Kevin Chi-Chung Chou3Ting-Jang Lu4Institute of Food Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, TaiwanJoint Center for Instruments and Researches, College of Bioresources and Agriculture, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, TaiwanDepartment of Agricultural Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, TaiwanInstitute of Food Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, TaiwanInstitute of Food Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, TaiwanPlant secondary metabolites regulate plant growth and serve as valuable pharmaceutical resources. Napier grass (<i>Pennisetum purpureum</i> Schumach.), a Poaceae species, shows potential as a functional food. In this study, we employed high-resolution mass spectrometry combined with a data-independent acquisition (DIA) strategy for the untargeted detection of anthocyanins, a group of secondary metabolites, in napier grass. Clear MS<sup>2</sup> fragmentation patterns were observed for anthocyanins, characterized by diagnostic aglycone signals and sequential losses of hexosyl (C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>10</sub>O<sub>5</sub>), deoxyhexosyl (C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>10</sub>O<sub>4</sub>), pentosyl (C<sub>5</sub>H<sub>8</sub>O<sub>4</sub>), and <i>p</i>-coumaroyl groups (C<sub>9</sub>H<sub>8</sub>O<sub>3</sub>). Based on matching with authentic standards and an in-house database, ten anthocyanins were identified, seven of which were newly reported in napier grass. In a single-laboratory validation analysis, both absolute and semi-quantitative results reliably reflected the specific distribution of metabolites across different cultivars and plant organs. The purple cultivar (TS5) exhibited the highest anthocyanin content, with the cyanidin 3-<i>O</i>-glucoside content reaching 5.0 ± 0.5 mg/g, whereas the green cultivar (TS2), despite its less pigmented appearance, contained substantial amounts of malvidin 3-<i>O</i>-arabinoside (0.7 ± <0.1 mg/g). Flavonoid profiling revealed that monoglycosylated anthocyanins were the dominant forms in floral tissues. These findings shed light on napier grass metabolism and support future Poaceae breeding and functional food development.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/15/2582Poaceae plantsnapier grassplant secondary metabolitesanthocyaninsUHPLC-HRMS |
| spellingShingle | Zhi-Yue Wang Pei-Yin Lin Chwan-Yang Hong Kevin Chi-Chung Chou Ting-Jang Lu Untargeted Metabolomics Reveals Distinct Anthocyanin Profiles in Napier Grass (<i>Pennisetum purpureum</i> Schumach.) Cultivars Foods Poaceae plants napier grass plant secondary metabolites anthocyanins UHPLC-HRMS |
| title | Untargeted Metabolomics Reveals Distinct Anthocyanin Profiles in Napier Grass (<i>Pennisetum purpureum</i> Schumach.) Cultivars |
| title_full | Untargeted Metabolomics Reveals Distinct Anthocyanin Profiles in Napier Grass (<i>Pennisetum purpureum</i> Schumach.) Cultivars |
| title_fullStr | Untargeted Metabolomics Reveals Distinct Anthocyanin Profiles in Napier Grass (<i>Pennisetum purpureum</i> Schumach.) Cultivars |
| title_full_unstemmed | Untargeted Metabolomics Reveals Distinct Anthocyanin Profiles in Napier Grass (<i>Pennisetum purpureum</i> Schumach.) Cultivars |
| title_short | Untargeted Metabolomics Reveals Distinct Anthocyanin Profiles in Napier Grass (<i>Pennisetum purpureum</i> Schumach.) Cultivars |
| title_sort | untargeted metabolomics reveals distinct anthocyanin profiles in napier grass i pennisetum purpureum i schumach cultivars |
| topic | Poaceae plants napier grass plant secondary metabolites anthocyanins UHPLC-HRMS |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/15/2582 |
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