Desmodium molliculum (Kunth) DC., an Andean medicinal plant: DNA barcoding and HPLC fingerprint for species discrimination and evaluation of its pharmacological potential

Eugenia Peñaherrera¹Josue Sarmiento-Pacurucu¹Efren Santos-Ordonez²Alexandr Kachatryan¹Nancy Cuzco¹David Vanegas¹Jessica Calle-López¹Liliana Villao²Yvan Vander Heyden³Isabel Wilches¹Fabián León-Tamariz^1*

• ¹Department of Biosciences, Group of Medicinal Plants and Natural Products, Universidad de Cuenca, Cuenca, Ecuador
• ²Faculty of Life Sciences, ESPOL Polytechnic University, Guayaquil, Guayas, Ecuador
• ³Department of Analytical Chemistry, Applied Chemometrics and Molecular Modelling, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium

In the Ecuadorian traditional medicine, two species of the Desmodium genus, D. adscendens and D. molliculum, are used interchangeably for the treatment of various ailments, particularly those related to inflammatory processes, wound healing, stomach ulcers and liver disorders. Despite the extensive knowledge and characterization of D. adscendens, there is limited information regarding D. molliculum. This highlights the necessity for the development of analytical tools that facilitate the differentiation between these two species and the characterization of the latter. The tools were developed and evaluated at two distinct levels: genetically, using the DNA barcoding technique, and analytically, using chromatographic fingerprinting. Additionally, the antioxidant potential of the samples was evaluated through the establishment of the RACI index, based on various in vitro evaluation techniques. De novo genetic DNA barcodes were obtained for D. molliculum and the phylogenetic analysis separated them from those obtained from D. adscendens, demonstrating that the trnH-psbA, matK, and ITS1 markers are the most effective for differentiating between the species. Additionally, the antioxidant potential of D. molliculum was found to be higher than that of D. adscendens. The apigenin 8-C-glucoside (vitexin), together with tannic and chlorogenic acids have been pointed by HPLC fingerprinting analysis as responsible for this pharmacological activity. Dio formato: Fuente: Cursiva Eliminó: When the genetics of D. adscendens are considered, also 81 studies were carried out. It has been molecularly characterized, and 82 accessions of the species molecular DNA barcodes obtained from 83 samples from New Caledonia, Tanzania and Mexico for the markers